GENERAL 3-PHASE RELATIVE PERMEABILITY MODEL FOR PRUDHOE BAY

This paper describes two-and three-phase relative permeability concept s important for Prudhoe Bay. It includes a three-phase relative permea bility correlation that incorporates hysteresis in gas, oil, and water relative permeability as well as the dependence of relative permeabil ity on composition and gas/oil interfacial tension (IFT). The function al forms chosen to correlate the relative permeability data were based on interpretation of the pore-level mechanisms that determine fluid f low. The three-phase correlation reduces to traditional models in vari ous limits and is more consistent with available data and trends in th e literature than previous correlations. Although this correlation was developed for Prudhoe Bay, it can be and has been applied to other mi xed-wet reservoirs with changes in the input parameters. The correlati on is particularly useful in situations where both compositional effec ts and hysteresis are important.