Assessing the Influence of Confining Pressure on the Consolidation of Granular Bulk Models Using an Integrated Sensor...

Area of Science:

• Geosciences
• Engineering
• Physics

Background:

• Large-scale bulk models are valuable for studying porous media flow.
• Conventional models often suffer from instability due to inadequate confinement systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel experimental apparatus for large-scale porous media flooding studies.
• To investigate the impact of confinement on model stability and data representativeness.

Main Methods:

• Development of a tubular granular bulk model (1m length, 95mm diameter).
• Integration of distributed sensors (pressure, temperature, electrical resistance).
• Comparative analysis of filtration under confined versus unconfined conditions.

Main Results:

• Unconfined models show high sensitivity to pressure, nonlinear flow-pressure relationships, and fluctuating electrical resistance.
• Confined models exhibit stable consolidation, reduced hysteresis, and minimized particle displacement.
• Confinement is critical for uniform model consolidation.

Conclusions:

• Effective confinement is essential for the reliability of large-scale bulk models in porous media research.
• The novel apparatus ensures stable and representative data acquisition.
• Findings highlight the importance of model integrity for accurate flow studies.