Solute mixing regulates heterogeneity of mineral precipitation in porous media: Effect of Solute Mixing on Precipitation
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois USA
- Marine Environmental Laboratory, Shenzhen Research Institute, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen China
Synchrotron X-ray microtomography was used to track the spatiotemporal evolution of mineral precipitation and the consequent alteration of the pore structure. Column experiments were conducted by injecting CaCl2 and NaHCO3 solutions into granular porous media either as a premixed supersaturated solution (external mixing) or as separate solutions that mixed within the specimen (internal mixing). The two mixing modes produced distinct mineral growth patterns. While internal mixing promoted transverse heterogeneity with precipitation at the mixing zone, external mixing favored relatively homogeneous precipitation along the flow direction. The impact of precipitation on pore water flow and permeability was assessed via 3-D flow simulations, which indicated anisotropic permeability evolution for both mixing modes. Under both mixing modes, precipitation decreased the median pore size and increased the skewness of the pore size distribution. Such similar pore-scale evolution patterns suggest that the clogging of individual pores depends primarily on local supersaturation state and pore geometry.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States); Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division; National Science Foundation (NSF)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-94ER14466; CMMI‐1351534; EAR‐1128799; AC02‐06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 1375355
- Journal Information:
- Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 44, Issue 13; ISSN 0094-8276
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- ENGLISH
Geoelectrical Signatures of Reactive Mixing: A Theoretical Assessment
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journal | April 2018 |
Influence of mineralization and injection flow rate on flow patterns in three-dimensional porous media
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journal | January 2019 |
Role of Pore and Pore‐Throat Distributions in Controlling Permeability in Heterogeneous Mineral Dissolution and Precipitation Scenarios
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journal | July 2019 |
Influence of mineralization and injection flow rate on flow patterns in three-dimensional porous media | text | January 2019 |
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