ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to elucidate the flow phenomena of a highly viscous fluid in sandy soil for the recovery of heavy oil using the vapor extractor (VAPEX) method. In this study, the diffusion of heavy oil into a solvent is investigated. Syrup and distilled water are used as model to simulate the behaviors of heavy oil and organic solvents. The numerical model is validated by coupling the Navier–Stokes equation with the advection–diffusion equation. Subsequently, the concentration distribution of the fluid with a constant diffusion coefficient (D) is compared with that with a variable D, which is due to viscosity reduction in a porous geometry obtained from X-ray computed tomography images.
