The application of continuous-mixture thermodynamics for representing the hydrocarbon phases in a compositional reservoir simulator is considered as opposed to the conventional approach which uses several discrete pseudocomponents to characterize the phases. A method of formulating the continuous material balance and phase equilibrium relationships within an implicit pressure-explicit saturation (IMPES) framework is demonstrated. A one-dimensional reservoir simulator was written, and continuous-mixture thermodynamics was successfully employed. The results obtained from the continuous and the discrete versions of the simulator are in good agreement for the test cases considered.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.