Abstract:
Fluid-solid conjugate heat transfer in porous media is a phenomenon widely encountered in energy exploitation processes, including geothermal development, thermal recovery of heavy oil, and thermal stimulation of gas hydrates. Due to significant disparities in the thermal properties of fluids and rocks, as well as differences in their dominant heat transfer modes, the heat transfer mechanism at the fluid-solid interface is highly complex. To elucidate the microscopic mechanism of conjugate heat transfer within reservoir porous media, a lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) simulation framework incorporating fluid-solid conjugate heat transfer was established. This study analyzes conjugate heat transfer characteristics and reservoir energy variation laws, while investigating the impacts of rock and fluid properties, as well as porous media structure, on heat transfer performance. The simulation results indicate that under conditions of local thermal non-equilibrium, a decrease in the Peclet number or an increase in the thermal diffusivity ratio facilitates the effective utilization of injected energy within the reservoir. Conversely, under identical injected energy conditions, the energy absorbed by both the rock matrix and the fluid increases with an increasing Peclet number and thermal diffusivity ratio. Heat loss is exacerbated by an increase in the thermal conductivity of the cap and base rocks and a decrease in the effective thickness of the reservoir. Furthermore, the effective thermal conductivity of the reservoir decreases with increasing porosity and interface roughness but increases with a higher rock-to-fluid thermal conductivity ratio. The addition of foam to the injection medium promotes more uniform thermal front propagation, while the introduction of nitrogen reduces the effective thermal conductivity in the upper reservoir, thereby achieving thermal insulation. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical support for injection process optimization, reservoir insulation strategies development, and injection medium selection in oil & gas development, which is of great significance for improving the efficiency and profitability.