Impact of Pore-Scale Characteristics on Immiscible Fluid Displacement

Immiscible fluid flows (drainage displacement) where nonwetting fluid invades porous media filled with wetting fluid are frequently observed. Numerous studies have confirmed the existence of three different displacement patterns which depend on the viscosity ratio and capillary number: stable displa...

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Main Authors: Nariman Mahabadi, Leon van Paassen, Ilenia Battiato, Tae Sup Yun, Hyunwook Choo, Jaewon Jang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020-01-01
Series:Geofluids
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/5759023
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author Nariman Mahabadi
Leon van Paassen
Ilenia Battiato
Tae Sup Yun
Hyunwook Choo
Jaewon Jang
author_facet Nariman Mahabadi
Leon van Paassen
Ilenia Battiato
Tae Sup Yun
Hyunwook Choo
Jaewon Jang
author_sort Nariman Mahabadi
collection DOAJ
description Immiscible fluid flows (drainage displacement) where nonwetting fluid invades porous media filled with wetting fluid are frequently observed. Numerous studies have confirmed the existence of three different displacement patterns which depend on the viscosity ratio and capillary number: stable displacement, viscous fingering, and capillary fingering. However, the phase boundary and displacement efficiency of each displacement pattern can vary significantly depending on the characteristics of the experimental and numerical tools employed. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) tube network model was extracted from 3D X-ray computed tomography images of natural sand. The extracted network model was used to quantitatively outline the phase boundary of the displacement pattern and to examine the displacement efficiency for wide ranges of viscosity ratios and capillary numbers. Moreover, the effects of the tube size distribution and tube connectivity on the displacement characteristics were investigated. A transition regime between the viscous fingering and capillary fingering zones with regard to the displacement efficiency was observed for the first time. As the tube size distribution became uniform, the viscosity effect increased. As the tube connectivity decreased to ~4.6, the phase boundary became similar to that of a two-dimensional network. The characteristic changes of the phase boundary and displacement efficiency were highlighted through local gradient diagrams.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1468-8115
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language English
publishDate 2020-01-01
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record_format Article
series Geofluids
spelling doaj-art-2484a8c63cb448828e1546ec9a9eacce2025-02-03T05:54:27ZengWileyGeofluids1468-81151468-81232020-01-01202010.1155/2020/57590235759023Impact of Pore-Scale Characteristics on Immiscible Fluid DisplacementNariman Mahabadi0Leon van Paassen1Ilenia Battiato2Tae Sup Yun3Hyunwook Choo4Jaewon Jang5Department of Civil Engineering, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, USASchool of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USADepartment of Energy Resources Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Civil Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of KoreaImmiscible fluid flows (drainage displacement) where nonwetting fluid invades porous media filled with wetting fluid are frequently observed. Numerous studies have confirmed the existence of three different displacement patterns which depend on the viscosity ratio and capillary number: stable displacement, viscous fingering, and capillary fingering. However, the phase boundary and displacement efficiency of each displacement pattern can vary significantly depending on the characteristics of the experimental and numerical tools employed. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) tube network model was extracted from 3D X-ray computed tomography images of natural sand. The extracted network model was used to quantitatively outline the phase boundary of the displacement pattern and to examine the displacement efficiency for wide ranges of viscosity ratios and capillary numbers. Moreover, the effects of the tube size distribution and tube connectivity on the displacement characteristics were investigated. A transition regime between the viscous fingering and capillary fingering zones with regard to the displacement efficiency was observed for the first time. As the tube size distribution became uniform, the viscosity effect increased. As the tube connectivity decreased to ~4.6, the phase boundary became similar to that of a two-dimensional network. The characteristic changes of the phase boundary and displacement efficiency were highlighted through local gradient diagrams.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/5759023
spellingShingle Nariman Mahabadi
Leon van Paassen
Ilenia Battiato
Tae Sup Yun
Hyunwook Choo
Jaewon Jang
Impact of Pore-Scale Characteristics on Immiscible Fluid Displacement
Geofluids
title Impact of Pore-Scale Characteristics on Immiscible Fluid Displacement
title_full Impact of Pore-Scale Characteristics on Immiscible Fluid Displacement
title_fullStr Impact of Pore-Scale Characteristics on Immiscible Fluid Displacement
title_full_unstemmed Impact of Pore-Scale Characteristics on Immiscible Fluid Displacement
title_short Impact of Pore-Scale Characteristics on Immiscible Fluid Displacement
title_sort impact of pore scale characteristics on immiscible fluid displacement
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/5759023
work_keys_str_mv AT narimanmahabadi impactofporescalecharacteristicsonimmisciblefluiddisplacement
AT leonvanpaassen impactofporescalecharacteristicsonimmisciblefluiddisplacement
AT ileniabattiato impactofporescalecharacteristicsonimmisciblefluiddisplacement
AT taesupyun impactofporescalecharacteristicsonimmisciblefluiddisplacement
AT hyunwookchoo impactofporescalecharacteristicsonimmisciblefluiddisplacement
AT jaewonjang impactofporescalecharacteristicsonimmisciblefluiddisplacement