Multiphase Flow in Porous Media in Earth Resource and Environmental Engineering

(Advances in Understanding Phenomena through Pore-Scale Measurements)

Abstract

Traditionally, it has been challenging to observe phenomena inside porous media due to their optical opacity, and the description has relied on the volume-averaged Darcy law. Recent advances in measurement techniques, such as X-ray computer tomography (CT) allow us to observe the pore structure of porous media and the multiphase flow occurring in the interior at the pore scale. In this paper, the author introduces some of the phenomena revealed by pore-scale measurements, focusing on our research on carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) and enhance oil recovery (EOR). Numerical simulation, which plays a leading role in digital locking technology, is omitted, but the complementary use of measurement and simulation is expected to accelerate our understanding of the phenomena. Cross-scale approaches are currently being vigorously pursued, ranging from phenomenological descriptions of Darcy law at the macroscopic scale to Navier-Stokes equation-based descriptions on the pore scale.