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Related Concept Videos

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Viscosity measures the resistance a fluid offers to flow and deformation. It results from internal friction between layers of fluid moving relative to one another. Dynamic viscosity, denoted by the Greek letter mu (μ), quantifies the force needed to move one fluid layer over another. For Newtonian fluids like water and air, the relationship between the shearing stress and the rate of shearing strain is linear, meaning their viscosity remains constant regardless of the applied stress.
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Newtonian fluids exhibit a constant viscosity, meaning their shear stress and shear strain rate are directly proportional. This property ensures a predictable and stable response to applied forces, maintaining a linear relationship between force and flow. Examples include water, air, and light oils, consistently demonstrating this proportional behavior regardless of external conditions.
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Controlling viscous fingering instabilities of complex fluids.

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Controlling viscous fingering in porous media is crucial for technologies like enhanced oil recovery. This study demonstrates how a tapered cell suppresses these instabilities in complex fluids, enabling stable fluid displacement.

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Area of Science:

  • Fluid dynamics
  • Porous media physics
  • Rheology

Background:

  • Viscous fingering, characterized by wavy or fingering patterns, occurs when a low-viscosity fluid displaces a high-viscosity fluid in porous media.
  • These instabilities lead to incomplete sweep efficiency, negatively impacting technologies such as enhanced oil recovery, chromatography, and groundwater remediation.
  • Controlling these fingering patterns is challenging due to the inherent mobility contrast between fluids, which typically dictates interface stability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate methods for suppressing or controlling viscous fingering instabilities in complex fluids.
  • To explore the use of a radially tapered cell with linearly varying gap thickness to manage fluid-fluid interface stability.
  • To develop a theoretical framework for predicting and controlling these patterns in microfluidic and porous media applications.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental displacement of a complex viscous fluid (polyacrylamide solution) with gas in a radially converging cell with a linearly varying gap thickness.
  • Systematic variation of gas flow rate (Q) and cell gap-thickness gradient ([Formula: see text]) to observe interface behavior.
  • Theoretical analysis using a simplified linear stability analysis to predict interface stability criteria.

Main Results:

  • A stable, uniform interface was achieved at low flow rates (Q) and in cells with steeper gradients ([Formula: see text]) for complex fluids.
  • Unstable fingering patterns were observed at high flow rates (Q) and in cells with smaller gradients ([Formula: see text]).
  • Theoretical predictions showed good agreement with experimental data, providing a quantitative stability criterion.

Conclusions:

  • A radially tapered cell with a linearly varying gap thickness can effectively suppress viscous fingering instabilities in complex fluids.
  • The study provides a quantitative strategy for controlling fluid-fluid patterns and displacements in microfluidics and porous media by adjusting flow rate and cell geometry.
  • This research offers valuable insights for optimizing technologies reliant on stable fluid displacement in porous environments.