Pore-scale dynamics and the multiphase Darcy law
File(s)PhysRevFluids.5.013801.pdf (1.44 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Gao, Ying
Lin, Qingyang
Bijeljic, Branko
Blunt, Martin J
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Synchrotron x-ray microtomography combined with sensitive pressure differential measurements were used to study flow during steady-state injection of equal volume fractions of two immiscible fluids of similar viscosity through a 57-mm-long porous sandstone sample for a wide range of flow rates. We found three flow regimes. (1) At low capillary numbers, Ca, representing the balance of viscous to capillary forces, the pressure gradient,
∇
P
, across the sample was stable and proportional to the flow rate (total Darcy flux)
q
t
(and hence capillary number), confirming the traditional conceptual picture of fixed multiphase flow pathways in porous media. (2) Beyond
Ca
∗
≈
10
−
6
, pressure fluctuations were observed, while retaining a linear dependence between flow rate and pressure gradient for the same fractional flow. (3) Above a critical value
Ca
>
Ca
i
≈
10
−
5
we observed a power-law dependence with
∇
P
∼
q
a
t
with
a
≈
0.6
associated with rapid fluctuations of the pressure differential of a magnitude equal to the capillary pressure. At the pore scale a transient or intermittent occupancy of portions of the pore space was captured, where locally flow paths were opened to increase the conductivity of the phases. We quantify the amount of this intermittent flow and identify the onset of rapid pore-space rearrangements as the point when the Darcy law becomes nonlinear. We suggest an empirical form of the multiphase Darcy law applicable for all flow rates, consistent with the experimental results.
∇
P
, across the sample was stable and proportional to the flow rate (total Darcy flux)
q
t
(and hence capillary number), confirming the traditional conceptual picture of fixed multiphase flow pathways in porous media. (2) Beyond
Ca
∗
≈
10
−
6
, pressure fluctuations were observed, while retaining a linear dependence between flow rate and pressure gradient for the same fractional flow. (3) Above a critical value
Ca
>
Ca
i
≈
10
−
5
we observed a power-law dependence with
∇
P
∼
q
a
t
with
a
≈
0.6
associated with rapid fluctuations of the pressure differential of a magnitude equal to the capillary pressure. At the pore scale a transient or intermittent occupancy of portions of the pore space was captured, where locally flow paths were opened to increase the conductivity of the phases. We quantify the amount of this intermittent flow and identify the onset of rapid pore-space rearrangements as the point when the Darcy law becomes nonlinear. We suggest an empirical form of the multiphase Darcy law applicable for all flow rates, consistent with the experimental results.
Date Issued
2020-01-16
Date Acceptance
2020-01-01
Citation
Physical Review Fluids, 2020, 5 (1), pp.1-12
ISSN
2469-990X
Publisher
American Physical Society
Start Page
1
End Page
12
Journal / Book Title
Physical Review Fluids
Volume
5
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the
published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.
International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the
published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000508457900002&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Physics
POROUS-MEDIA
RELATIVE PERMEABILITY
RELAXATION DYNAMICS
FLOW
INTERMITTENCY
DISPLACEMENT
WETTABILITY
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 013801
Date Publish Online
2020-01-16