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Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Microfluidic Devices for Characterizing Pore-scale Event Processes in Porous Media for Oil Recovery Applications
Published on: January 16, 2018
Flow measurements of a polyphenyl ether oil in an elastohydrodynamic contact
Bénédicte Galmiche1, Aleks Ponjavic, Janet S S Wong
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
Abstract:
A novel methodology, based on the use of phosphorescence imaging, is applied to determine the local through-thickness velocity profile of lubricant in an elastohydrodynamic contact. The technique has spatial and temporal resolutions of 40 μm and 340 μs respectively and thus allows lubricant rheology to be investigated at conditions close to service conditions. The capability of the newly-developed method is verified by examining the flow of 5P4E polyphenyl ether, a lubricant base fluid used in very high temperature applications and is well-known for its high viscosity-pressure coefficient. Experimental results highlight the effect of the contact pressure on the velocity profile of this fluid in lubricated contacts. At low pressures, the velocity profile of 5P4E is close to linear, characteristic of Couette flow. As the local pressure increases, its velocity profile progressively deviates from a Couette profile and shear banding is evident at high pressure.
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