In nanoporous rocks, potential size/mobility exclusion and fluid-rock interactions in nano-sized pores and pore throats may turn the rock into a semi-permeable membrane, blocking or hindering the passage of certain molecules while allowing other molecules to pass freely. In this work, we conducted several experiments to investigate whether Niobrara samples possess such sieving properties on hydrocarbon molecules. Molecular dynamics simulation of hydrocarbon adsorption was performed to help understand the trends observed in the experiments. The procedure of the experiments includes pumping of liquid binary hydrocarbon mixtures (C10, C17) of known compositions into Niobrara samples, collecting of the effluents from the samples, and analysis of the compositions of the effluents. A specialized experimental setup that uses an in-line filter as a mini-core holder was built for this investigation. Niobrara samples were cored and machined into 0.5-inch diameter and 0.7-inch length mini-cores. Hydrocarbon mixtures were injected into the mini-cores and effluents were collected periodically and analyzed using gas chromatography. To understand the potential effects of hydrocarbon-rock interactions on their transport, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to clarify the adsorption of C10 and C17 molecules on calcite surfaces using all-atom models. Experimental results show that the heavier component (C17) in the injected fluid was noticeably hindered. After the start of the experiment, the fraction of the lighter component (C10) in the produced fluid gradually increased and eventually reached levels that fluctuated within a range above the fraction of C10 in the original fluid; besides, the fraction of C17 increased in the fluid upstream of the sample. Both observations indicate the presence of membrane properties of the sample to this hydrocarbon mixture. Simulation results suggest that, for a calcite surface in equilibrium with a binary mixture of C10 and C17, more C17 molecules adsorb on the carbonate surface than the C10 molecules, providing a mechanism that directly supports the experimental observations. Some experimental observations suggest that size/mobility exclusion should also exist. This experimental study is the first evidence that nanoporous reservoir rocks may possess membrane properties that can filter hydrocarbon molecules. Component separation due to membrane properties has not been considered in any reservoir simulation models. The consequence of this effect and its dependence on the mixture and environmental conditions (surface, pressure, temperature) are worthy of further investigations.
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Thin liquid films in a funnel
We explore flow of a completely wetting fluid in a funnel, with particular focus on contact line instabilities at the fluid front. While the flow in a funnel may be related to a number of other flow configurations as limiting cases, understanding its stability is complicated due to the presence of additional azimuthal curvature, as well as due to convergent flow effects imposed by the geometry. The convergent nature of the flow leads to thickening of the film, therefore influencing its stability properties. In this work, we analyse these stability properties by combining physical experiments, asymptotic modelling, self-similar type of analysis and numerical simulations. We show that an appropriate long-wave-based model, supported by the input from experiments, simulations and linear stability analysis that originates from the flow down an incline plane, provides a basic insight allowing an understanding of the development of contact line instability and emerging length scales.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1815613
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10287148
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics
- Volume:
- 924
- ISSN:
- 0022-1120
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Partially wetting droplets under an airflow can exhibit complex behaviours that arise from the coupling of surface tension, inertia of the external flow and contact-line dynamics. Recent experiments by Hooshanginejad et al. ( J. Fluid Mech. , vol. 901, 2020) revealed that a millimetric partially wetting water droplet under an impinging jet can oscillate in place, split or depin away from the jet, depending on the magnitude (i.e. $5\unicode{x2013}20\ {\rm m}\ {\rm s}^{-1}$ ) and position of the jet. To rationalise the experimental observations, we develop a two-dimensional lubrication model of the droplet that incorporates the external pressure of the impinging high-Reynolds-number jet, in addition to the capillary and hydrostatic pressures of the droplet. Distinct from the previous model by Hooshanginejad et al. ( J. Fluid Mech. , vol. 901, 2020), we simulate the motion of the contact line using precursor film and disjoining pressure, which allows us to capture a wider range of droplet behaviours, including the droplet dislodging to one side. Our simulations exhibit a comparable time-scale of droplet deformations and similar outcomes as the experimental observations. We also obtain the analytical steady-state solutions of the droplet shapes and construct the minimum criteria for splitting and depinning.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2021.626
