# US 10,871,431 B2 · Porous micromodel network to simulate formation flows > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,871,431 B2 - Document ID: US10871431B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/386,897 - Filed: 2019-04-17 - Published: 2020-10-22 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2019-04-17 - Assignees: Saudi Arabian Oil Company - Applicants: Saudi Arabian Oil Company - Inventors: Lyla Almaskeen; Amar Jaber M. Alshehri - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10871431B2 ## CPC - E21B 49/00: Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells - G01N 11/08: by measuring pressure required to produce a known flow - G01N 7/00: Analysing materials by measuring the pressure or volume of a gas or vapour - G01N 33/241: {for hydrocarbon content} - G01V 1/3808: {Seismic data acquisition, e.g. survey design} - G09B 23/40: for geology - G01V 20/00: Geomodelling in general - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02) - G09B: EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS (devices for psychotechnics or for testing reaction times A61B5/16; games, sports, amusements A63; projectors, projector screens G03B) ## Abstract A porous micromodel network to simulate formation flows includes a substrate, two or more porous micromodels formed on the substrate and a fluid inlet formed on the substrate. The first porous micromodel defines a first fluidic flow pathway and is representative of a first hydrocarbon-carrying formation. Flow through the first fluidic flow pathway is representative of flow through the first hydrocarbon-carrying formation. The second porous micromodel is fluidically isolated from the first porous micromodel. The second porous micromodel defines a second fluidic flow pathway different from the first fluidic flow pathway. The second porous micromodel is representative of a second hydrocarbon-carrying formation different from the first hydrocarbon-carrying formation. Flow through the second fluidic flow pathway is representative of flow through the second hydrocarbon-carrying formation. The fluid inlet is fluidically configured to simultaneously flow fluid to the first fluidic flow pathway and the second fluidic flow pathway. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: a substrate; a first porous micromodel formed on the substrate, the first porous micromodel defining a first fluidic flow pathway, the first porous micromodel representative of a first hydrocarbon-carrying formation, flow through the first fluidic flow pathway representative of flow through the first hydrocarbon-carrying formation; a second porous micromodel formed on the substrate, the second porous micromodel fluidically isolated from the first porous micromodel, the second porous micromodel defining a second fluidic flow pathway different from the first fluidic flow pathway, the second porous micromodel representative of a second hydrocarbon-carrying formation different from the first hydrocarbon-carrying formation, flow through the second fluidic flow pathway representative of flow through the second hydrocarbon-carrying formation; and a fluid inlet formed on the substrate, the fluid inlet fluidically configured to simultaneously flow fluid to the first fluidic flow pathway and the second fluidic flow pathway. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first hydrocarbon-carrying formation is an ideal hydrocarbon-carrying formation, the first porous micromodel comprises first porous media defining a first plurality of pores that defines the first fluidic flow pathway, the first plurality of pores having substantially identical dimensions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first plurality of pores are substantially equidistantly spaced apart from each other. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the first plurality of pores is circular, wherein the first plurality of pores has substantially the same diameter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second hydrocarbon-carrying formation is an actual hydrocarbon-carrying formation, the second porous micromodel comprises second porous media defining a second plurality of pores that defines the second fluidic flow pathway, the second plurality of pores having a range of varying dimensions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second plurality of pores are spaced at varying distances from each other. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a first porous micromodel fluid inlet formed on the substrate at an edge of the first porous micromodel, the first porous micromodel fluid inlet fluidically connected to the fluid inlet formed on the substrate, the first porous micromodel fluid inlet configured to receive fluid from the fluid inlet and to flow the fluid into the first fluidic pathway; and a second porous micromodel fluid inlet formed on the substrate at an edge of the second porous micromodel, the second porous micromodel fluid inlet fluidically connected to the fluid inlet formed on the substrate, the second porous micromodel fluid inlet configured to receive fluid from the fluid inlet and to flow the fluid into the second fluidic pathway. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first porous micromodel fluid inlet and the second porous micromodel fluid inlet have the same dimensions. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising: a first porous micromodel fluid outlet formed on the substrate at another edge of the first porous micromodel, the first porous micromodel fluid outlet configured to permit the fluid flowed through the first fluidic pathway to exit the first porous micromodel; and a second porous micromodel fluid outlet formed on the substrate at another edge of the second porous micromodel, the second porous micromodel fluid outlet configured to permit the fluid flowed through the second fluidic pathway to exit the second porous micromodel. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of silicon wafer, wherein the apparatus further comprises a transparent plate that fluidically seals the first porous micromodel and the second porous micromodel. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a wall between the first porous micromodel and the second porous micromodel, the wall fluidically isolating the first porous micromodel from the second porous micromodel. ### Claim 12 A laboratory-scale system comprising: a porous micromodel network comprising a plurality of porous micromodels that are different from each other and that are fluidically isolated from each other, each porous micromodel defining a respective fluidic flow pathway, each porous micromodel representative of a respective hydrocarbon-carrying formation, flow through the each fluidic flow pathway representative of flow through the respective hydrocarbon-carrying formation; and a fluid flow device configured to simultaneously flow fluid through the porous micromodel network. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, further comprising a flow manifold comprising an inlet fluidically coupled to the fluid flow device and a plurality of outlets, one outlet per porous micromodel, the plurality of outlets fluidically coupled to a respective plurality of porous micromodel inlets, the flow manifold configured to receive fluid from the fluid flow device and simultaneously flow the fluid to the porous micromodel network. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of pressure gauges, one pressure gauge per porous micromodel, the plurality of pressure gauges coupled to the respective plurality of porous micromodels, each pressure gauge configured to measure a flow pressure of the fluid through the respective porous micromodel. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, further comprising a flow visualization device spatially positioned relative to the porous micromodel network, the flow visualization device configured to capture flow and saturation of the fluid through each porous micromodel. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the flow visualization device comprises a camera. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the flow visualization device comprises a microscope coupled to the camera. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the fluid flow device comprises a pump configured to pump the fluid through the porous micromodel network. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of fluid containers, each fluid container carrying a hydrocarbon-carrying formation fluid, the pump configured to draw the hydrocarbon-carrying formation fluid from one of the plurality of fluid containers and flow the hydrocarbon-carrying formation fluid simultaneously through the porous micromodel network. ### Claim 20 A method comprising: simultaneously flowing a plurality of fluids through a respective, plurality of laboratory-scale porous micromodels of a porous micromodel network, the plurality of porous micromodels fluidically isolated from each other, each porous micromodel defining a respective fluidic flow pathway, each porous micromodel representative of a respective hydrocarbon-carrying formation, flow through the each fluidic flow pathway representative of flow through the respective hydrocarbon-carrying formation; imaging flow of the plurality of fluids through the respective, plurality of porous micromodels; and evaluating flow through each respective hydrocarbon-carrying formation based on imaging the flow and the saturation of the fluid. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the plurality of laboratory-scale micromodels comprises two porous micromodels and the plurality of fluids comprises two same fluids. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the plurality of laboratory-scale micromodels are different from each other.