A semi-experimental procedure for the estimation of permeability of microfluidic pore network

Pradhan, Sushobhan; Shaik, Imran; Lagraauw, R.; Bikkina, Prem

doi:10.1016/j.mex.2019.03.025

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(16 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The flow in these porous media are typically described by Darcy’s law, a phenomenologically derived constitutive equation that characterizes the linear relationship between the velocity and the pressure gradient in the porous media. − Specifically, the volumetric flow rate, Q , can be calculated using eq . where k is the permeability, A is the cross-sectional area of the flow, μ is the viscosity of the fluid, and Δ P is the pressure drop across the porous media over length, L .…”

Section: Characterizing Asphaltene Deposition With Microfluidicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physicochemical Characterization of Asphaltenes Using Microfluidic Analysis

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Crude oils are complex mixtures of organic molecules, of which asphaltenes are the heaviest component. Asphaltene precipitation and deposition have been recognized to be a significant problem in oil production, transmission, and processing facilities. These macromolecular aromatics are challenging to characterize due to their heterogeneity and complex molecular structure. Microfluidic devices are able to capture key characteristics of reservoir rocks and provide new insights into the transport, reactions, and chemical interactions governing fluids used in the oil and gas industry. Understanding the microscale phenomena has led to better design of macroscale processes used by the industry. One area that has seen significant growth is in the area of chemical analysis under flowing conditions. Microfluidics and microscale analysis have advanced the understanding of complex mixtures by providing in situ imaging that can be combined with other chemical characterization methods to give details of how oil, water, and added chemicals interface with pore-scale detail. This review article aims to showcase how microfluidic devices offer new physical, chemical, and dynamic information on the behavior of asphaltenes. Specifically, asphaltene deposition and related flow assurance problems, interfacial properties and rheology, and evaluation of remediation strategies studied in microchannels and microfluidic porous media are presented. Examples of successful applications that address key asphaltene-related problems highlight the advances of microscale systems as a tool for advancing the physicochemical characterization of complex fluids for the oil and gas industry.

show abstract

Section: Characterizing Asphaltene Deposition With Microfluidicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physicochemical Characterization of Asphaltenes Using Microfluidic Analysis

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Table 1 lists the microfluidic chip properties and Figure 1 shows an image of the porous medium and pore size distribution. 1 8.3 ± 0.1 Darcy Average pore size 2 130 µm Wettability state Water-wet 1 The liquid permeability of the pore-network was estimated by following the semi-experimental method by [26]. 2 The average pore size was determined by the algorithm presented by [27].…”

Section: Porous Material: Microfluidic Chipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The liquid permeability of the pore-network was estimated by following the semi-experimental method by[26] 2. The average pore size was determined by the algorithm presented by[27].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Wettability and Flow Rate on Oil Displacement Using Polymer-Coated Silica Nanoparticles: A Microfluidic Study

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Polymer-coated silica nanoparticles (PSiNPs) have been experimentally investigated in core- and micro-scale studies for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Wettability and flow rate have a considerable effect on oil displacement in porous media. This work investigates the efficiency of PSiNPs for oil recovery on micro-scale at three wettability states (water-wet, intermediate-wet, and oil-wet). In addition, a cluster mobilization regime is considered in all experiments. A microfluidic approach was utilized to perform flooding experiments with constant experimental settings such as flowrate, pore-structure, initial oil topology, porosity, and permeability. In this study, the wettability of the microfluidic chips was altered to have three states of wettability. Firstly, a micro-scale study (brine-oil-glass system) of each wettability condition effect on flow behavior was conducted via monitoring dynamic changes in the oleic phase. Secondly, the obtained results were used as a basis to understand the changes induced by the PSiNPs while flooding at the same conditions. The experimental data were extracted by means of image processing and analysis at a high spatial and temporal resolution. Low injection rate experiments (corresponding to ~1.26 m/day in reservoir) in a brine-oil-glass system showed that the waterflood invaded with a more stable front with a slower displacement velocity in the water-wet state compared to the other states, which had water channeling through the big pores. As a result, a faster stop of the dynamic changes for the intermediate- and oil-wet state was observed, leading to lower oil recoveries compared to the water-wet state. In a cluster mobilization regime, dynamic changes were noticeable only for the oil-wet condition. For the aforementioned different conditions, PSiNPs improved oil displacement efficiency. The usage of PSiNPs showed a better clusterization efficiency, leading to a higher mobilization, smaller remaining oil clusters, and lower connectivity of the residual oil. The knowledge from this experimental work adds to the understanding of the behavior of polymer-coated silica nanoparticles as a recovery agent at different wettability states and a cluster mobilization regime.

show abstract

“…The porosity value was also confirmed by the image analysis. Single-phase flooding tests were performed to estimate the liquid permeability of the pore-network according to the work presented by Pradhan et al, 2019 [33]. The network permeability was around 8.3 Darcy.…”

Section: Glass Micromodelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Adding Nanoparticles to Polymer Flooding in Water-Wet Micromodels

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recently, the combination of conventional chemical methods for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and nanotechnology has received lots of attention. This experimental study explores the dynamic changes in the oil configuration due to the addition of nanoparticles (NPs) to biopolymer flooding. The tests were performed in water-wet micromodels using Xanthan Gum and Scleroglucan, and silica-based NPs in a secondary mode. The microfluidic setup was integrated with a microscope to capture the micro-scale fluid configurations. The change in saturation, connectivity, and cluster size distributions of the non-wetting phase was evaluated by means of image analysis. The biopolymer content did not affect the ability of the NPs to reduce the interfacial tension. The experiments showed that the reference nanofluid (NF) flood led to the highest ultimate oil recovery, compared to the Xanthan Gum, Scleroglucan and brine flooding at the same capillary number. In the cases of adding NPs to the biopolymer solutions, NPs-assisted Xanthan flooding achieved the highest ultimate oil recovery. This behavior was also evident at a higher capillary number. The overall finding suggests a more homogenous dispersion of the NPs in the solution and a reduction in the polymer adsorption in the Xanthan Gum/NPs solution, which explains the improvement in the sweep efficiency and recovery factor.

show abstract

A semi-experimental procedure for the estimation of permeability of microfluidic pore network

Abstract: Graphical abstract

Cited by 15 publications

References 16 publications

Physicochemical Characterization of Asphaltenes Using Microfluidic Analysis

Physicochemical Characterization of Asphaltenes Using Microfluidic Analysis

The Effect of Wettability and Flow Rate on Oil Displacement Using Polymer-Coated Silica Nanoparticles: A Microfluidic Study

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Adding Nanoparticles to Polymer Flooding in Water-Wet Micromodels

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About