Events Calendar

Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Seminar - Distinguished Lecture Series

Speaker: Professor S. Majid Hassanizadeh, Earth Sciences Department, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Talk Title: Advanced theories of two-phase flow in deformable porous media; experimental and computation studies

Abstract:
Two-phase flow in porous media is traditionally modeled using a modified form of Darcy's law, two volume balance equations, and a so-called capillary pressure-saturation relationship. Darcy's Law was proposed more than 150 years ago for the flow of a single fluid in soil. Since then, this equation, in almost original form, has been assumed to be applicable to more and more complicated porous media. But, there are many shortcomings of the so-called extended Darcy's Law. Also, the empirical relationship between capillary pressure and saturation is known to suffer from some important shortcoming (it is hysteretic and may depend on the rate of flow or rate of change of saturation).

In this lecture, we present a new theory of two-phase flow, which comprises a truly extended Darcy's law and a new capillarity theory, which has five main features: i) pressure gradient is not the only driving force for flow, ii) saturation and pressure are not the only state variables; fluid-fluid specific interfacial area is another macroscale state variable, iii) capillary pressure is an intrinsic property of the porous medium and is not only a function of saturation but also fluid-fluid specific interfacial areas, iv) effective stress parameter is a function of fluid-fluid specific interfacial area as well as saturation, and v) there is a dynamic (or non-equilibrium) capillarity effect. We provide experimental evidences for the validity of the new theory. Also, results of pore-scale and continuum-scale simulations are provided to illustrate the significance of new theory at various scales.

Location: Hedco Pertroleum and Chemical Engineering Building (HED) - 116

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Karen Woo/Mork Family