Transport of colloids in saturated porous media: A pore‐scale observation of the size exclusion effect and colloid acceleration

Abstract

We present experimental evidence of the effect of colloid exclusion from areas of small aperture sizes, using direct observations at the pore‐scale using a realistic micromodel of porous media. Four sizes of hydrophobic latex spheres in aqueous suspension, from 0.05 to 3 μm, were introduced into the micromodel at three different pressure gradients. We observed the frequency of occurrence of the size exclusion effect and the influence of relative size of pore throats and colloids (T/C ratio) and flow velocity. From our observations the smallest T/C ratio entered by these different colloids was 1.5. We also observed certain preferential pathways through the pore space for different colloid sizes, such that size exclusion eventually results in distinct pathways. These preferential paths become more important for larger colloids and for greater pressure gradients. Measured colloid velocities were 4–5.5 times greater than estimated pore water velocities. Acceleration factors (ratio of colloid to water velocity) increased for all colloid sizes with increasing pore‐scale Pe. Smaller particles appeared to travel along faster streamlines in pore throats, while larger particles travel along with a number of streamlines, thus at a slightly lower velocity than the small colloids. At larger scales the acceleration factor is decreased owing to Brownian motion, adsorption, colloid and straining filtration, and other factors, but these pore‐scale results shed light on the size exclusion effect and its role in determining early colloid breakthrough.