Dissolution of porous media with disordered geometry

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Dissolution of porous media is a crucial phenomenon in various application fields, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms in order to accurately predict and control the evolution of the media. In our study, we investigate the impact of geometric disorder and injection rates using a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches. To capture more detailed information about dissolution, we employed a high-resolution camera to accurately record the dissolution process observed in our experiments. We identified several dissolution patterns and discussed how both the injection rate and geometric disorder influence these patterns. In addition, we analyzed the evolution of porosity, dissolution rates, and flow velocity using image processing technology. We found a complex, non-linear relationship between the evolution of the media and the flow dynamics, indicating that both injection rate and geometric disorder are crucial factors in the dissolution process. To improve our ability to predict the evolution of porous media under dissolution conditions, we developed a model that incorporates the coupling effects of injection rate and degree of disorder. Our models have successfully provided insights into the interconnected roles of injection rate and geometric disorder in dissolution processes, which can be valuable for the exploitation of subsurface resources.