Abstract
To date, the visualisation of flow through porous media assembled in microfluidic chips was confined to mineralogically homogenous systems. Here we present a key evolution in the method that permits the investigation of mineralogically realistic rock analogues.
Highlights
The visualisation of flow through porous media assembled in microfluidic chips was confined to mineralogically homogenous systems
We present a key evolution in the method that permits the investigation of mineralogically realistic rock analogues
Micromodels have been used for decades to visualize multiphase flow through porous media by earth scientists, groundwater hydrologists, and petroleum engineers interested in the physical processes that govern the flow of immiscible fluids through soil, sediment, and rock
Summary
Sub-pore scale heterogeneity in hydrophilicity due to differential exposure to non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL), commonly referred to as mixed wettability, is associated with dramatically protracted recovery of non-aqueous phases from oil reservoirs and NAPL-contaminated aquifers.[11,12,13] pore size and topology largely determine permeability, and their variation at the reservoir scale give rise to bypassing and poor oil recovery.[14] Despite the long history of microfluidic studies, previous work has not addressed the consequences of the varied surface properties of the different mineral components of sedimentary rocks at the pore scale and lamina scale This is remarkable when mineralogical composition is an inherent and fundamental rock property used for classification (e.g., QFL-scheme of siliciclastic rocks).[15] One reason for this may be the previous monolithic composition of micromodels. Quasi-2.5dimensional beds of mineral grains packed into custom-
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