Speaker
Description
Two-phase displacement in porous media is a fundamental process in natural and industrial systems (e.g., geological carbon storage, enhanced oil recovery) and has been extensively studied. Under the low-Reynolds number (low-Re) assumption—justified by the typically small apparent flow velocities in porous media—the inertial effect is generally neglected. However, in scenarios such as near-injection-well flow in enhanced oil recovery (EOR), local meniscus instability in large pores, and upscaled centrifugal experimental models, inertial effects become non-negligible. While a limited number of studies have highlighted inertia’s significant impact on displacement efficiency and flow patterns, the fundamental mechanism by which inertia modulates local meniscus dynamics and thereby reshapes mesoscale flow patterns remains unclear. To address this gap, the present study employs numerical simulation to elucidate the transient meniscus dynamics at both the single-pore scale and within regions of porous media. Building on a simplified abstract model, transient meniscus dynamics—including meniscus propagation and localized velocity fluctuations—are interrogated in the context of diverse forms of local instability (contact and overlap) to delineate the influence of inertial effects. Mechanical energy transformation is quantified, base on which a predictive method for the maximum meniscus propulsion distance is proposed. Subsequently, mesoscopic porous media displacement simulations are performed to explore inertia-induced flow pattern transition and the cooperative propulsion behavior of menisci. Bulk flow characteristics (e.g., flow patterns, displacement efficiency) are quantified, while the underlying mechanisms are revealed through investigations of energy transformation and the frequency of local instabilities. The results corroborate the inertia-influenced local meniscus behavior and the overall flow characteristics, revealing the underlying mechanics of how the inertial effect reshapes two-phase displacement patterns by affecting local meniscus behavior. These findings advance fundamental understanding of inertial multiphase flow and provide transferable insights for hypergravity-assisted experiment in geotechnical and reservoir engineering applications.
| Country | China |
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