A micro-continuum approach is proposed to simulate the dissolution of solid minerals at the pore scale under single-phase flow conditions. The approach employs a Darcy–Brinkman–Stokes formulation and locally averaged conservation laws combined with immersed boundary conditions for the chemical reaction at the solid surface. The methodology compares well with the arbitrary-Lagrangian–Eulerian technique. The simulation framework is validated using an experimental microfluidic device to image the dissolution of a single calcite crystal. The evolution of the calcite crystal during the acidizing process is analysed and related to the flow conditions. Macroscopic laws for the dissolution rate are proposed by upscaling the pore-scale simulations. Finally, the emergence of wormholes during the injection of acid in a two-dimensional domain of calcite grains is discussed based on pore-scale simulations.
Soulaine, Cyprien, et al. "Mineral dissolution and wormholing from a pore-scale perspective." Journal of Fluid Mechanics, vol. 827, Aug. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2017.499
Soulaine, Cyprien, Roman, Sophie, Kovscek, Anthony, & Tchelepi, Hamdi A. (2017). Mineral dissolution and wormholing from a pore-scale perspective. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 827. https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2017.499
Soulaine, Cyprien, Roman, Sophie, Kovscek, Anthony, et al., "Mineral dissolution and wormholing from a pore-scale perspective," Journal of Fluid Mechanics 827 (2017), https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2017.499
@article{osti_1469961,
author = {Soulaine, Cyprien and Roman, Sophie and Kovscek, Anthony and Tchelepi, Hamdi A.},
title = {Mineral dissolution and wormholing from a pore-scale perspective},
annote = {A micro-continuum approach is proposed to simulate the dissolution of solid minerals at the pore scale under single-phase flow conditions. The approach employs a Darcy–Brinkman–Stokes formulation and locally averaged conservation laws combined with immersed boundary conditions for the chemical reaction at the solid surface. The methodology compares well with the arbitrary-Lagrangian–Eulerian technique. The simulation framework is validated using an experimental microfluidic device to image the dissolution of a single calcite crystal. The evolution of the calcite crystal during the acidizing process is analysed and related to the flow conditions. Macroscopic laws for the dissolution rate are proposed by upscaling the pore-scale simulations. Finally, the emergence of wormholes during the injection of acid in a two-dimensional domain of calcite grains is discussed based on pore-scale simulations.},
doi = {10.1017/jfm.2017.499},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1469961},
journal = {Journal of Fluid Mechanics},
issn = {ISSN 0022-1120},
volume = {827},
place = {United States},
publisher = {Cambridge University Press},
year = {2017},
month = {08}}