Mesoscale Anisotropy in Porous Media Made of Clay Minerals. A Numerical Study Constrained by Experimental Data.

ABSTRACT: The anisotropic properties of clay-rich porous media have significant impact on the directional dependence of fluids migration in environmental and engineering sciences. This anisotropy, linked to the preferential orientation of flat anisometric clay minerals particles, is studied here on the basis of the simulation of three-dimensional packings of non-interacting disks, using a sequential deposition algorithm under a gravitational field. Simulations show that the obtained porosities fall onto a single master curve when plotted against the anisotropy value. This finding is consistent with results from sedimentation experiments using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) disks and subsequent extraction of particle anisotropy through X-ray microtomography. Further geometrical analyses of computed p

SUBMITTER: Dabat T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6212813 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature