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Pore Scale Visualization of Drainage in 3D Porous Media by Confocal Microscopy
Débora F do Nascimento1, José R Vimieiro Junior1, Sidnei Paciornik2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22451-900, Brazil.
Scientific Reports
|August 28, 2019
Summary
Researchers visualized fluid dynamics in porous media using fluorescent dyes. This study reveals how fluids displace each other at the pore scale, aiding enhanced oil recovery and CO2 sequestration.
Area of Science:
- Multiphase flow in porous media
- Confocal microscopy applications
- Interfacial phenomena in porous media
Background:
- Understanding fluid displacement in porous media is crucial for various industrial processes.
- Previous methods often required image subtraction, complicating phase volume quantification.
- Visualizing immiscible fluid dynamics at the pore scale provides fundamental insights.
Purpose of the Study:
- To visualize and quantify the dynamics of immiscible fluid displacement in a 3D porous medium.
- To investigate the influence of capillary number on trapped phase morphology.
- To develop an improved method for simultaneous visualization and quantification of multiple fluid phases.
Main Methods:
- Utilized confocal microscopy to image fluid displacement in a 3D glass bead packing.
- Employed two different fluorescent dyes to simultaneously visualize wetting and non-wetting phases.
- Quantified phase volumes directly without image subtraction.
Main Results:
- Detailed visualization of pore invasion by the non-wetting phase during displacement.
- Demonstrated that trapped ganglia volume and morphology are dependent on the capillary number.
- Observed wetting phase trapped as pendular rings across pore necks.
Conclusions:
- The developed method allows for simultaneous, quantitative visualization of multiphase flow dynamics.
- Pore-scale flow details inform fundamental understanding of processes like enhanced oil recovery and CO2 sequestration.
- Insights into trapped phase morphology can optimize fluid recovery and remediation strategies.
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