Stretching and folding sustain microscale chemical gradients in porous media.

ABSTRACT: Fluid flow in porous media drives the transport, mixing, and reaction of molecules, particles, and microorganisms across a wide spectrum of natural and industrial processes. Current macroscopic models that average pore-scale fluctuations into an effective dispersion coefficient have shown significant limitations in the prediction of many important chemical and biological processes. Yet, it is unclear how three-dimensional flow in porous structures govern the microscale chemical gradients controlling these processes. Here, we obtain high-resolution experimental images of microscale mixing patterns in three-dimensional porous media and uncover an unexpected and general mixing mechanism that strongly enhances concentration gradients at pore-scale. Our experiments reveal that systematic stretc

SUBMITTER: Heyman J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7306761 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature