Abstract
Summary The use of 3D printing technology to study physical processes occurring in subsurface porous media is rapidly gaining ground. However, the removal of support material from 3D-printed prototypes represents an obstacle for using such models in laboratory experiments. This study addresses some of the effects of improving support material removal from 3D-printed prototypes and some of the implications of utilizing these enhanced models on investigations of flow through fractures. Two groups of porous models were manufactured utilizing a polyjet 3D printer: 1) cylindrical pore throats specimens and 2) porous models with fractures. Two types of post-processing methods were also tested: 1) a chemical method and 2) a chemical-mechanical method. A Darcy flow experiment was employed to measure absolute permeability on the second group. Experimental results helped correlate testtime to the amount of removed support material and revealed the need for better estimating the required injection pressure to clean out support material from 3D-printed porous models. Permeability measurement was compared to analytical calculations. Results of post-treatment methods highlight the importance of using flushed 3D printed samples when studying physical processes occurring in porous media.
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