Modeling hysteresis in porous media flow via relaxation (Q5959207)

The authors consider a two-phase flow of water and oil in a porous medium. The modelling of the following problem is the main aim of the paper: during water injection, the relative oil permeability first falls gradually, and then decreases sharply. The latter stage is called imbibition. If oil is subsequently injected, this permeability does not recover along the imbibition path, but increases first gradually and then sharply. The second stage is called drainage. The type of flow that occurs between imbibition and drainage is termed scanning flow. While change in permeability is irreversible in imbibtion and drainage regimes, it is reversible for scanning flow. Hence there appears a hysteresis which is incorporated in both models described in the paper.