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Triggering interfacial instabilities during forced imbibition by adjusting the aspect ratio in depth-variable microfluidic porous media
KTH, School of Engineering Sciences (SCI), Engineering Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics and Engineering Acoustics. Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7980-9691
2023 (English)In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, ISSN 0027-8424, E-ISSN 1091-6490, Vol. 120, no 50Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

We present a comprehensive description of the aspect ratio impact on interfacial instability in porous media where a wetting liquid displaces a nonwetting fluid. Building on microfluidic experiments, we evidence imbibition scenarios yielding interfacial instabilities and macroscopic morphologies under different depth confinements, which were controlled by aspect ratio and capillary number. We report a phenomenon whereby a smaller aspect ratio of depth-variable microfluidic porous media and lower capillary number trigger interfacial instability during forced imbibition; otherwise, a larger aspect ratio of uniform-depth microfluidic porous media and higher capillary number will suppress the interfacial instability, which seemingly ignored or contradicts conventional expectations with compact and faceted growth during imbibition. Pore-scale theoretical analytical models, numerical simulations, as well as microfluidic experiments were combined for characteristics of microscopic interfacial dynamics and macroscopic displacement results as a function of aspect ratio, depth variation, and capillary number. Our results present a complete dynamic view of the imbibition process over a full range of regimes from interfacial stabilization to destabilization. We predict the mode of imbibition in porous media based on pore-scale interfacial behavior, which fits well with microfluidic experiments. The study provides insights into the role of aspect ratio in controlling interfacial instabilities in microfluidic porous media. The finding provides design or prediction principles for engineered porous media, such as microfluidic devices, membranes, fabric, exchange columns, and even soil and rocks concerning their desired immiscible imbibition behavior.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 2023. Vol. 120, no 50
Keywords [en]
imbibition, interfacial instability, microfluidics, porous media
National Category
Applied Mechanics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-341441DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2310584120PubMedID: 38048464Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85178587106OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-341441DiVA, id: diva2:1825720
Note

QC 20240110

Available from: 2024-01-10 Created: 2024-01-10 Last updated: 2024-01-10Bibliographically approved

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Lei, Wenhai

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