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Novel fluid-fluid interface domains in geologic media.
Juliana B Araújo1, Mark L Brusseau
1Soil, Water, and Environmental Science Department, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. Brusseau@email.arizona.edu.
Environmental Science. Processes & Impacts
|December 14, 2018
Summary
Larger-scale surface features in sand and soil create significant air-water interfaces, impacting fluid flow and biogeochemical processes. These previously overlooked interfaces are crucial for understanding natural porous media.
Area of Science:
- Geosciences
- Environmental Science
- Pore-Scale Physics
Background:
- Pore-scale fluid processes are vital for geological applications.
- High-resolution imaging advances allow direct characterization of these processes in natural media.
- Understanding fluid distribution in geomedia is key for modeling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of surface heterogeneity on air-water interfacial area in natural geomedia.
- To quantify the contribution of macroscopic features to interfacial area.
- To assess the significance of these features in pore-scale modeling.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-resolution synchrotron X-ray microtomography (XMT).
- Employed advanced 3-D image visualization techniques.
- Analyzed two natural geomedia: sand and soil.
Main Results:
- Identified air-water interfaces within macroscopic features (pits, crevices) on solid surfaces.
- Observed feature diameters ranging from tens to hundreds of micrometers in sand.
- Estimated these interfaces contribute approximately 12% to the total capillary interfacial area.
Conclusions:
- Macroscopic surface features significantly influence air-water interfacial area in geomedia.
- Standard models may not account for these interfaces, potentially affecting process simulations.
- These findings necessitate revised conceptualizations of fluid distribution in natural porous media.
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