Dynamics of snap-off and pore-filling events during two-phase fluid flow in permeable media.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the pore-scale dynamics of two-phase fluid flow in permeable media is important in many processes such as water infiltration in soils, oil recovery, and geo-sequestration of CO₂. The two most important processes that compete during the displacement of a non-wetting fluid by a wetting fluid are pore-filling or piston-like displacement and snap-off; this latter process can lead to trapping of the non-wetting phase. We present a three-dimensional dynamic visualization study using fast synchrotron X-ray micro-tomography to provide new insights into these processes by conducting a time-resolved pore-by-pore analysis of the local curvature and capillary pressure. We show that the time-scales of interface movement and brine layer swelling leading to snap-off are several m

SUBMITTER: Singh K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5507864 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature