Insights into non-Fickian solute transport in carbonates
File(s)
Author(s)
Bijeljic, Branko
Mostaghimi, Peyman
Blunt, Martin J
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
[1] We study and explain the origin of early breakthrough and long tailing plume behavior by simulating solute transport through 3‐D X‐ray images of six different carbonate rock samples, representing geological media with a high degree of pore‐scale complexity. A Stokes solver is employed to compute the flow field, and the particles are then transported along streamlines to represent advection, while the random walk method is used to model diffusion. We compute the propagators (concentration versus displacement) for a range of Peclet numbers (Pe ) and relate it to the velocity distribution obtained directly on the images. There is a very wide distribution of velocity that quantifies the impact of pore structure on transport. In samples with a relatively narrow spread of velocities, transport is characterized by a small immobile concentration peak, representing essentially stagnant portions of the pore space, and a dominant secondary peak of mobile solute moving at approximately the average flow speed. On the other hand, in carbonates with a wider velocity distribution, there is a significant immobile peak concentration and an elongated tail of moving fluid. An increase in Pe , decreasing the relative impact of diffusion, leads to the faster formation of secondary mobile peak(s). This behavior indicates highly anomalous transport. The implications for modeling field‐scale transport are discussed.
Date Issued
2013-05-28
Date Acceptance
2013-04-02
Citation
Water Resources Research, 2013, 49 (5), pp.2714-2728
ISSN
0043-1397
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Start Page
2714
End Page
2728
Journal / Book Title
Water Resources Research
Volume
49
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
©2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
Sponsor
PETROLEO BRASILEIRO S. A. PETROBRAS
Chevron Energy Technology Company
Identifier
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wrcr.20238
Grant Number
N/A
N/A
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Physical Sciences
Environmental Sciences
Limnology
Water Resources
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Marine & Freshwater Biology
NUCLEAR-MAGNETIC-RESONANCE
THROUGH POROUS-MEDIA
FLUID TRANSPORT
HYDRODYNAMIC DISPERSION
FLOW PROPAGATORS
MOLECULAR-DIFFUSION
TAYLOR DISPERSION
NMR MEASUREMENTS
TIME BEHAVIOR
TRACER TESTS
Environmental Engineering
0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
0905 Civil Engineering
0907 Environmental Engineering
Date Publish Online
2013-04-06