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Control of viscous fingering by nanoparticles
Nasser Sabet1, Hassan Hassanzadeh1, Jalal Abedi1
1Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4.
Adding nanoparticles to fluids can stabilize unstable fluid flows. Nondepositing nanoparticles fully stabilize fronts, while depositing ones offer temporary stabilization, impacting viscous fingering dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Fluid Dynamics
- Nanotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Viscous fingering, an instability in fluid displacement, is influenced by fluid viscosity.
- Nanoparticles can significantly alter base fluid viscosity, impacting flow dynamics.
- Limited theoretical studies exist on nanoparticle effects in unstable miscible displacements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of nonreactive nanoparticles on the stability and mixing of unstable binary fluid systems.
- To analyze the role of both nondepositing and depositing nanoparticles.
- To clarify inconsistencies regarding nanoparticle diffusion coefficients in these systems.
Main Methods:
- Linear Stability Analysis (LSA) for parametric analysis.
- Pseudospectral-based Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS).
- Static and dynamic parametric analyses to model nanoparticle behavior.
Main Results:
- Nanoparticles can weaken instabilities in originally unstable fluid systems.
- Nondepositing nanoparticles demonstrated the ability to fully stabilize unstable fronts.
- Depositing nanoparticles acted as temporary stabilizers, with diminishing influence over time.
Conclusions:
- Nanoparticles offer a viable method to control viscosity-driven instabilities.
- The type of nanoparticle (nondepositing vs. depositing) critically affects stabilization.
- Further research into nanoparticle applications for flow control is warranted.
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