Rheological effects of non-Newtonian behavior of displacing fluids on stability of a moving interface in radial oil displacement mechanism in porous media (Q579087)

A theoretical analysis for evaluating the rheological effects of non- Newtonian behavior of the displacing fluid on the interface stability in a radial displacement in a porous medium has been performed. A power law fluid was used to illustrate these effects. A linearized stability theory has been developed from which the approximate analytical solutions of the basic equations describing moving interface stability were obtained. The relevant results presented in this paper clearly demonstrate the theoretical support for the finding of a strategy regarding the optimal selection of rheological parameters of the displacing fluid, expressed in terms of fluid and reservoir properties, in order to minimize the instability effects on the moving interface.