Relative Permeability

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Relative Permeability

20-Mar-23 1
Introduction
• The concept of permeability is introduced to explain fluid flow
through porous media.
• When pore space is filled with a single fluid, fluid flow is explained in
terms of absolute permeability.
• The concept of effective permeability is introduced to explain fluid
flow when pore space contains more than one reservoir fluid.
• Effective permeability depends on saturation, wettability, and pore
geometry.
• Laboratory data is explained through relative permeability instead of
effective permeability.

20-Mar-23 2
Mathematical Expression of Relative
Permeability
𝑘𝑒
𝑘𝑟 =
𝑘
𝑘𝑒𝑔
𝑘𝑟𝑔 =
𝑘
𝑘𝑒𝑜
𝑘𝑟𝑜 =
𝑘
𝑘𝑒𝑤
𝑘𝑟𝑤 =
𝑘
• Effective permeability can be considered as the relative measure of
conductance of the porous medium for one fluid in presence of other
fluids.
• Relative permeability curve is represented with respect to saturation.

20-Mar-23 3
Problem 9.1

Water injection is carried out in a 50 ft thick, 300 ft wide, and 400 ft


long gridblock (much like a rectangular core, called gridblock in
reservoir simulation terminology), which has a porosity of 33% and
absolute permeability of 500 mD. The injection of water is carried out
at a residual oil saturation of 20%. The pressure drop across the
gridblock is 5 atm. The relative permeability of water (krw) at residual
oil saturation of 20% or water saturation of 80% is 0.67.
Water viscosity is 1.0 cP. Calculate the water flow rate in barrels/day.

20-Mar-23 4
Problem 9.1
kew @ S or A p
q  1.127
w L

k ew
k rw 
K

 kew  Kkrw

 500 
  0.67 50  3005 14.696
 1.127  
1000
1400

bbl
 1040
D

20-Mar-23 5
Salient Features of Relative Permeability
Curves

• End-Point Fluid Saturations


• Base Permeabilities
• End-Point Permeabilities and Relative Permeability Curves
• Gas-Oil Relative Permeability Curves
• Oil-Water Relative Permeability Curves
• Direction of Relative Permeability Curves

20-Mar-23 6
End-Point Fluid Saturations

• Gas Oil
Relative
Permeability
Curve

20-Mar-23 7
End-Point Fluid Saturations
Gas

• End point saturation ranges from Swi to Sor .

20-Mar-23 8
End-Point Fluid Saturations

Oil Water Relative


Permeability Curve

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End-Point Fluid Saturations
Water

20-Mar-23 10
Base Permeabilities
• Scaling of effective permeability
• Absolute air permeability (Klinkenberg corrected)
• Absolute liquid permeability
• Effective oil permeability at irreducible water saturation

• Example
𝑘𝑒𝑜 @𝑆𝑤 = 50% = 100 mD Relative permeability
100
𝑘𝑒𝑜 @𝑆𝑤𝑖𝑟𝑟 = 20% = 110 mD 𝑘𝑟𝑜 @𝑆𝑤 = 50% =
110
𝑘 @𝑆𝑤 = 100% = 120 mD 100
𝑘𝑟𝑜 @𝑆𝑤 = 50% =
120

20-Mar-23 11
Example 9.2
A preserved core plug of 34.63% porosity and a bulk volume of 51.05 cm3 was
used to carry out gas–oil and water–oil displacement experiments for
determination of relative permeability. Due to the preserved nature of the plug,
the initial saturation of oil and water in the plug (prior to carrying out any
tests) was unknown. Moreover, considering the heterogeneity of the core plug,
saturations measured on the plug trim were considered to be unreliable. The
testing program on the core plug was carried out in the following manner and
sequence:
First, a gas flood was carried out that resulted in an oil production of 6.9 cm3
and water production of 1.2 cm3.
Second, the core plug, after completion of the gas flood, was resaturated with
crude oil to replace the gas. The plug also took additional oil
in place of the produced water. Third, the core plug was subjected to a

20-Mar-23 12
Example 9.2
waterflood that resulted in an oil production of 6.8 cm3. Finally, the
Dean–Stark extraction was performed on the core plug right after the
termination
of the waterflood. This resulted in the saturations as So = 40% and Sw
= 60%. Determine the initial oil and water saturations that existed in
the preserved core plug prior to carrying out any of the displacement
tests.

20-Mar-23 13
End-Point Permeabilities and Relative
Permeability Curves
• Gas-Oil Relative Permeability Curves

kbase  keo @ S wi 

• SL = 100%, kro = 1; krg = 0 and SL = Slir, kro = 0; krg = maximum

20-Mar-23 14
End-Point Permeabilities and Relative
Permeability Curves
• Oil-Water Relative Permeability Curves

• At Swi = 1; kro = 1; krw = 0

• At Sw = 1-Sor , kro = 0; krw = maximum

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Direction of Relative Permeability

• Drainage

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Direction of Relative Permeability

• Imbibition

20-Mar-23 17
Direction of Relative Permeability
• Effect of wettability on relative permeability curve
• Gas oil relative permeability
• Gas phase (always nonwetting) relative permeability may approach to 100% or 1 even
when its saturation is less than 100%.
• Oil water relative permeability curve
• Oil is wetting phase.
• Relative permeability of water is high and may be close to 100% when water saturation
is less than 100%.

20-Mar-23 18
Laboratory Determination of Relative
Permeability
• Flow experiment must be performed to determine relative
permeability.
• Methods
• SS
• USS
• Indirect method
• Capillary pressure data

20-Mar-23 19
Flowchart

20-Mar-23 20
Core plug sampled used in relative
permeability measuremesnts
• Native state
• Wettability is preserved.
• Initial water saturation is unknown.
• Plug end trim can be used to know Swi
• Swi can be determined at the end of relative permeability test using Dean-
Stark extraction.21
• Dried cleaned core plug
• Wettability change
• Initial condition is known

20-Mar-23 21
Establishment of Initial Water Saturation
• 50 to 100 core plugs are used to obtain a relative permeability curve
for a reservoir.
• Preserved core plug
• Wettability is preserved.
• It is assumed that the core plug is at Swi.
• Swi is determined from plug end trim.
• Some uncertainties are involved with Swi.
• Uncertainty with Swi can be removed at the end of experiment through
performing mass or volume basis calculation.

20-Mar-23 22
Establishment of Initial Water Saturation

• Cleaned core plug


• Wettability is altered.
• Swi is known from the beginning of relative permeability test.
• Swi may be found higher with respect to the saturation estimated from well
log data
• Highly viscous synthetic oil is injected to get lower Swi.
• Aging is recommended to restore wettability.
• Swi from capillary gravity equilibrium
• Swi established from viscous force.

20-Mar-23 23
Determination of Base Permeability

• Absolute permeability is determined according to RCAL.


• Native state core plug
• At the end of the relative permeability experiment
• Plug end trim

• Cleaned core plug

20-Mar-23 24
Determination of Base Permeability
• Keo @ Swi
• Native state core plug
• Evacuation of trapped gas is completed by submerging the core plug into reservoir oil
contained in a desiccator.
• Oil flooding is continued until steady pressure drop attained.
• Finally, Darcy’s law is applied to calculate Keo(@Swi)

• Cleaned Core Plug


• It is determined at the time of establishment of Swi.
• 100% water saturated core plug is taken under oil flood.
• When no more water is produced at the outlet end of the core plug, Darcy’s law is
applied to get Keo @Swi.

20-Mar-23 25
Determination of Base Permeability

20-Mar-23 26
Steady State Technique
• Two fluids are injected simultaneously at a constant volumetric ratio.
• Injection of fluids continued until
• Pressure drops for both fluids across the core plug is stabilized.
• Fluids are produced at the equal injection rate ratio at core plug outlet.
• Fluid saturations inside the core plug can be determined
• By weighing the core plug
• By performing mass balance
• Darcy’s law is applied to calculate effective permeabilities.

20-Mar-23 27
Steady State Technique
• Steps for oil water system
• 100% water saturated dried clean plug is flooded with oil to Swirr.
• Keo @ Swirr is determined.
• Both oil and water phases are injected simultaneously at a certain volumetric
flow rate ratio.
• Injection is stopped when production flow rate ratio becomes equal to
injection flow rate ratio.
• Volumes of produced fluids recorded.
• Individual fluid pressure drop is recorded.

20-Mar-23 28
Steady State Technique

20-Mar-23 29
Steady State Technique
• Saturation Calculation for a particular stabilized water oil injection
rate ratio

𝑀𝑟𝑓 = 𝑀𝑟 + 𝑆𝑤1𝑃𝑉𝜌𝑤 + 1 − 𝑆𝑤1 𝑃𝑉𝜌𝑜

⇒ 𝑀𝑟𝑓 − 𝑀𝑟 = 𝑆𝑤1 𝑃𝑉𝜌𝑤 + 𝑃𝑉𝜌𝑜 − 𝑆𝑤1 𝑃𝑉𝜌𝑜

⇒ 𝑀𝑟𝑓 − 𝑀𝑟 − 𝑃𝑉𝜌𝑜 = 𝑆𝑤1𝑃𝑉 𝜌𝑤 − 𝜌𝑜

𝑀𝑟𝑓 − 𝑀𝑟 − 𝑃𝑉𝜌𝑜
⇒ 𝑆𝑤1 =
𝑃𝑉 𝜌𝑤 − 𝜌𝑜

20-Mar-23 30
Steady State Technique

𝑘𝑒𝑜 @𝑆𝑤1 𝐴 𝛥𝑃
𝑞𝑜 =
𝜇𝑜 𝐿

𝑞𝑜 𝜇𝑜 𝐿
⇒ 𝑘𝑒𝑜 @𝑆𝑤1 =
𝐴𝛥𝑃

Similarly
𝑞𝑤 𝜇𝑤 𝐿
𝑘𝑒𝑤 @𝑆𝑤1 =
𝐴𝛥𝑃

20-Mar-23 31
Steady State Technique
• Steps for oil water
q
system
• Injection of q is increased step by step.
w

• Each step is terminated when production rate ratio becomes injection rate
ratio.
• Saturations and relative permeabilities are calculated following previous
steps.
• Water injection is continued to reach residual oil saturation and finally
𝑘𝑒𝑤 @𝑆𝑟𝑜 is calculated.

20-Mar-23 32
Slides from Animation

20-Mar-23 33
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onmS612m9-E

20-Mar-23 34
20-Mar-23 35
20-Mar-23 36
20-Mar-23 37
20-Mar-23 38
Exercise 9.3
An oil–water SS displacement experiment was carried out on a 5.0 cm
long and 3.0 cm diameter sandstone core plug. The porosity of the plug
is 25% and the grain density is 2.65 g/cm3. Oil and water densities are
0.85 g/cm3 and 1.05 g/cm3, while viscosities are 2.0 cP and 1.0 cP,
respectively. The differential pressure for the test is 12.94 psi. Other data
are provided in the following table. Calculate and plot the oil–water
relative permeability data.

20-Mar-23 39
Unsteady-State Technique
• In USS, immiscible displacement is observed.
• Displacing fluid is gas or water.
• Oil is the displaced fluid.

• Steps
• Determination of keo at Swi is performed first.
• Water is injected at a constant rate
• Pressure drop and oil production data are recorded with respect to time.
• The experiment is terminated at Sor.

20-Mar-23 40
Unsteady-State Technique

20-Mar-23 41
Cubic Reservoir in Active Water Drive

http://perminc.com/resources/fundamentals-of-fluid-flow-in-porous-media/chapter-4-immiscible-displacement/buckley-leverett-theory/

20-Mar-23 42
Buckley Leverett Theory
• The theory determines the velocity of a plane of constant water
saturation through a linear system.

20-Mar-23 43
Buckley Leverett Theory
• Assumption
• One-dimensional immiscible flow occurs for two incompressible fluids.
• Mass transfer between fluids is absent.
• Flow is horizontal.
• Diffuse flow, that is, displacement, occurs at very high injection rates so
that the effects of capillary and gravity forces are negligible.
• Viscosity is constant.
• Homogeneous formation; ϕ and k are constant.
• Water is injected at x = 0 (inlet face) at constant rate qw .

20-Mar-23 44
Buckley Leverett Theory

20-Mar-23 45
Problem on Buckley-Leverett Theory
Calculate
• Breakthrough time
• The amount of PV water injected at the time of breakthrough.
• Oil recovery at breakthrough.
• Oil recovery when water saturation at the production well is 68%.

20-Mar-23 46
Water Saturation Determination
• Alternative method
• JBN method

20-Mar-23 47
Unsteady-State Technique

Oil Produced
𝑠𝑤 = 𝑠𝑤𝑖 +
PVcore plug

𝑞𝑜 𝜇𝑜 𝐿
𝑘𝑒𝑜 @𝑆𝑤 =
𝐴𝛥𝑃

𝑞𝑤 𝜇𝑤 𝐿
𝑘𝑒𝑤 @𝑆𝑤 =
𝐴𝛥𝑃

20-Mar-23 48
Calculation of Permeability From Capillary
Pressure
• After introducing lithological factor and replacing summation sign
with integral of saturation
S Sw
k w  10.24 cos   
dS
S 0 pc2

where 10.24 is the conversion factor.


Similarly,
k nw  10.24 cos   
1 dS
S Sw p 2
c

20-Mar-23 49
Calculation of Permeability From Capillary
Pressure
k  10.24 cos   
dS 1

S 0 p 2
c

S Sw
k w  10.24 cos   
dS
S 0 pc2
Sw dS
S 0 pc2
 k rw  1
dS
S 0 pc2

20-Mar-23 50
Determination of Relative Permeability From
Capillary Pressure
k  10.24 cos   
dS 1

S 0 p 2
c

 10.24 cos   


1 dS
k nw
S Sw p 2
c

dS
Sw
S Sw pc2
 k rnw  1
dS
S 0 pc2
20-Mar-23 51
Factors Affecting Relative Permeability
Measurements
• Effect of History of Saturation
• Effect of Wettability
• Pore structure
• Capillary number

20-Mar-23 52
Effect of History of Saturation
• Relative permeability plot for water-drive or waterflooding calculation
is developed by flooding core plug with water.
• During imbibition, the nonwetting phase losses its mobility at a
relatively higher saturation w.r.t. drainage.
• In case of drainage, the wetting phase losses its mobility a relatively
higher saturation w.r.t. imbibition.

20-Mar-23 53
Effect of History of Saturation

20-Mar-23 54
Effect of Wettability
• Strong water wet system
• At Sw= Swi
• Most of the small pores are occupied by water.
• Water has no effect on the flow of oil.
• Oil effective permeability may be as high as absolute
permeability.
• At Sw= 1-Sor
• Residual oil is trapped as lump of oil in the center of larger
pores.
• Trapped oil is found effective to lower water effective
permeability significantly.
20-Mar-23 55
Effect of Wettability
Oil wet rock
• Oil is found in the smaller pores.
• At Swi
• Disconnected water phase lowers oil relative
permeability.
• At Sw = 1-Sor
• Relative permeability of water is comparatively high.
• Oil film is less effective to lower water relative
permeability.

20-Mar-23 56
Effect of Wettability
• For a constant water saturation, water relative permeability increases
and oil relative permeability decreases as the wettability shifts from
water wet to oil-wet.
• For a particular water saturation, Krw/kro reduces to zero as weight
fraction of oil-wet sand grains decreases from 1 to 0.

20-Mar-23 57
Craig’s Rules of Thumb
• For strongly water and oil wet rock

20-Mar-23 58
Pore Structure
• Oil water system
• Rocks with large pores
• Irreducible water saturation is low.
• End point relative permeabilities are high.
• Saturation range (from one end point to another ) is high.
• Rocks with small pores
• Irreducible water saturation is high.
• End point relative permeabilities are low.
• Saturation range is low.

20-Mar-23 59
Effect of Overbuden Stress
• Net overburden stress
• Gross overburden stress – fluid pressure
• Irreducible water saturation and residual oil saturation increases with
net overburden pressure.
• Due to increase in capilarity with reduction of pore space.
• Kro decreases more than krw as net overburden pressure increases.
• Pore throat diameter decreases with net overburden pressure.
• Water as wetting phase occupy more pore throats.

20-Mar-23 60
Effect of Clay Content
• Clay swelling
• Injected brine is not in ionic equilibrium with the rock.

20-Mar-23 61
Capillary Number

Nc = Vμ/σ
• Effect of velocity
• Effect of interfacial tension
• X-Shapted relative permeability plot
• Viscous forces are defined by the fluid viscosity, flow velocity, and
flow path length.
• Capillary forces are defined by the surface or interfacial tension.
• Any consistent set of units can be used in this equation.

20-Mar-23 62
Capillary Number
• Effect of velocity on relative permeability
• IFT = 0.29 mN/m
• Velocity was increased from 14 to 49 m/day
• No significant change is observed for the relative permeabilities of wetting and
nonwetting phase.

• IFT = 0.06 mN/m


• Velocity was increased from 12 to 30 m/day.
• The relative permeabilities of the both wetting and nonwetting phases increase
significantly.

20-Mar-23 63
Capillary Number
• Effect IFT on relative permeability
• Reduction of IFT
• from 0.29 to 0.01 mN/m
• Velocity ≈ 14 m/day
• The relative permeability to the non-wetting phase increases
gradually.

• Ift = 0.01 mN/m


• X shaped relative permeability
• Miscible condition.

20-Mar-23 64
Oil Trapping

• Capillary forces cause water to move ahead faster in low permeability


pore channels when water is moving slow through high perIlleability pore
channel

20-Mar-23 65
Oil Trapping

Fig. Reduced oil saturation causes high tension in the interfacial film of
the oil at restrieted Points A and B where film breaks

20-Mar-23 66
Oil Trapping

Fig. Residual oil left in sand by water drive caused by surface film
breaking at restrictions in sand pore channel
Courtesy: Clark, N.J., et al: Miscible Drive - Its Theory and Application (SPE 1036 G)

20-Mar-23 67
You may think about it.

20-Mar-23 68
Exercise 9.4
For laboratory waterflood data, the relative permeability of oil is
measured and the fractional flow data as a function of saturation are
also available. The Swi and Sor values are 16.7% and 79.2%,
respectively. The base permeability is koil at Swi. The value of krw at Sor
is 0.145. Construct the oil–water relative permeability and relative
permeability ratio plots as a function of water saturation. The oil and
water viscosities are 1.81 and 0.42 cP, respectively.

20-Mar-23 69
Exercise 9.4
Sw% fw Kro
16.7 0.0000 1.0000
40.1 0.5837 0.2090
44.48 0.6889 0.1580
53.9 0.8392 0.0834
58 0.8889 0.0582
63.7 0.9421 0.0310
67.8 0.9694 0.0166
76.5 0.9990 0.0006
77.5 0.9997 0.0002
78.8 0.9998 0.0001
79.2 1.0000 0.0000
20-Mar-23 70
Exercise 9.4
k rw  w 1  f o

k ro o f o

k rw  w f w
 
k ro o 1  f w

w f w
 k rw  k ro
o 1  f w

20-Mar-23 71
Problem 9.5
The oil–water relative permeability data for a reservoir condition
coreflood are given in the following table. A separate centrifuge test
on the same core sample resulted in a residual oil saturation of 14%
(which is believed to be the true value) and the end-point relative
permeability to water as krw = 0.9. Extend/extrapolate (not by hand)
the oil–water relative permeability curve to the centrifuge test
residual oil saturation so that the relative permeability data can be
used in a reservoir simulation study

20-Mar-23 72
Problem 9.5

20-Mar-23 73
Example 9.6
The oil and water relative permeabilities for a chalk core plug are
expressed by the following equations:

krw = 0.52 (Sw - 0.25) 3


kro = 3.62 (0.75-Sw ) 3

Determine the values of irreducible water saturation, residual oil


saturation, and end-point relative permeabilities to oil and water.

20-Mar-23 74
Corey’s Relative Permeability Model
• It is very often possible to get a linear relationship between ln(kr) and
ln(Sn).
S w  S wi
S wn 
1  S wi  S or

S wn  Son  1

 Son  1  S wn

S w  S wi
 S on  1 
1  S wi  S or

1  S wi  S or  S w  S wi
 S on 
1  S wi  S or

20-Mar-23 75
Corey’s Relative Permeability Model
1  S or  S w
 S on 
1  S wi  S or

1  S w  S or
 S on 
1  S wi  S or

20-Mar-23 76
Corey’s Relative Permeability Model

• Base permeability= 𝑘𝑒𝑜 @𝑆𝑤𝑖

𝑁𝑜
1 − 𝑆𝑤 − 𝑆𝑜𝑟
𝑘𝑜𝑛 = 𝑘𝑟𝑜 @𝑆𝑤𝑖
1 − 𝑆𝑤𝑖 − 𝑆𝑜𝑟

𝑁𝑜 = Corey’s exponent for oil

20-Mar-23 77
Corey’s Relative Permeability Model

• Base permeability= 𝑘𝑒𝑜 @𝑆𝑤𝑖

𝑘𝑟𝑤 @𝑆𝑜𝑟 = 𝐸𝑋𝑃 intercept

𝑁𝑤
𝑆𝑤 − 𝑆𝑤𝑖
𝑘𝑟𝑤 = 𝑘𝑟𝑤 @𝑆𝑜𝑟
1 − 𝑆𝑤𝑖 − 𝑆𝑜𝑟

𝑁𝑤 = Corey’s exponent for water

20-Mar-23 78
Exercise 9.7
Determine the Corey exponents for the following oil–water relative
permeability data:
keo(@Swi) = 0.204 mD
kew(@Sor) = 0.128 m

20-Mar-23 79
Three Phase Relative Permeability
• Prediction of three phase oil relative permeability, kro based on two
phase relative permeability model
• Two phase relative permeability model
• Oil relative permeability as a function of water saturation only, krow
• Oil relative permeability as function of gas saturation only, krog

20-Mar-23 80
Ternary Diagram For Three Phase Relative
Permeability
• Kro isoperms

20-Mar-23 81
Ternary Diagram For Three Phase Relative
Permeability
• Isoperm Kro1
So = 30%
Sg = 46%
Sw = 24%
• Isoperm Kro2
So = 30%
Sg = 30%
Sw = 40%
• Kro depends on Sw and Sg
not on So

20-Mar-23 82
Three Phase Relative Permeability
• Empirical model
• Based on two phase relative permeability
• Pore Space Occupancy
• Water wet core
• The Largest pores are occupied by gas
• The smallest pores are occupied by water
• The pores with intermediate sizes are occupied by oil
Krg = f(Sg)
Kro = f(Sg, Sw)
Krw = f(Sw)

20-Mar-23 83
Empirical Model for Three-Phase Relative
Permeability
• For gas-oil system,
krog = f(Sg)
krg = f(Sg)
• For oil-water system,
krow = f(Sw)
krw = f(Sw)

20-Mar-23 84
Empirical Model for Three-Phase Relative
Permeability
• Stone I Model
• Estimation of kro = f(Sg, Sw)

• Normalized Saturations
• Sge = Sg/(1- Swi - Som)

• Soe = (So-Som)/(1-Swi-Som)

• Swe = (So-Som)/(1-Swi-Som)

Som = residual oil saturation for three phase flow

20-Mar-23 85
Empirical Model for Three-Phase Relative
Permeability
• The three phase relative permeability for oil is defined as

kro/krow@Swi = Soeβgβw

βg = krog/krow(@Swi)/(1-Sge)
βw = krowg/krow(@Swi) /(1-Swe)

20-Mar-23 86
Additional

20-Mar-23 87
Relative Permeability Model

• http://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0009250917305365-gr4.jpg

20-Mar-23 88
• http://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0009250917305365-gr1.jpg

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Different Types of Pore Filling During
Imbibition

• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kristian_Mogensen3/publication/226210800/figure/fig1/AS:302189785436176@1449059067596/Figure-2-Different-types-
of-pore-filling-during-imbibition-Lenormand-and-Zarcone.png

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Animation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onmS612m9-E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDYBeT_-cYk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNkbr_mnuRU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucqgRo6Fd_c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcm8KmO9434

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