In the paper the method using volume thermal source to act upon the reservoir is investigated. The presented model takes into account also the possible thermal exchange of reservoir with surrounding medium. | Journal of Mechanics, NCNST of Vietnam T. XVI, 1994, No 3 (11 - 16) ON THE PROBLEM OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER IN THERM-AL NON-ISOLATED RESERVOIR DUONG NGOC HAl Institute of Mechanics, NCNST of Vietnam §1. INTRODUCTION The thermal method is one of the major methods used to enhance oil recovery. In accordance to . 69% of the enhanced oil recovery {EOR) production in the United States is due to the thermal methods and, tOday, EOR accounts for more than 9% of the total oil production of North America [1, 2]. In the paper .· method using volume thermal source to act upon the reservoir is investigated. The presented .model takes into account also the possible thermal exchange of reservoir with surrounding medium. §2. GOVERNING EQUATIONS Thermo - and hydrodynam~.cs of the process of saturated porous medium heating is assessed with regard to possible phase transfer of the first mode (melting or solidification of the saturating component). Then subscripts i = 1, 2, 3 mark parameters of liquid (melted) phase, solid (unmelted) phase and solid porous matrix, accordingly. Subscripts f and 0 characterize media at the phase transition front and on the well boundary; ai is vOlumetric fraction of the i-th phase; T is temperature, m is porosity; xis space co-ordinate; xo = IXol is ; XJ(t) is the coordinate of the mobile melting front; t is time. According to the mentioned designations, melting front Xf (t) will be a boundary between the zone (which will be characterized by subscript i) of porous solid body- matrix (third phase) filled with the melted second component (first phase): a 1 = m; a 2 = 0; a 3 ~ 1 ~ t=n; T > T1 and the zone {which ,in be characterized by subscript s) of porous solid body filled with the solid second component (second phase): a 1 = 0; az = m; a 3 = 1-m. Note that Xf -+ +oo formally corresponds to the case when initially the saturating component is in liquid (T= > T1) state with high viscosity, and melting surface is totally .
