Effect of Nucleation Heterogeneity on Mineral Precipitation in Confined Environments

Yang, Fengchang; Guan, Dongshi; Starchenko, Vitalii; Yuan, Ke; Stack, Andrew G.; Ling, Bowen

doi:10.1029/2023GL107185

Title: Effect of Nucleation Heterogeneity on Mineral Precipitation in Confined Environments

Journal Article · 01 May 2024 · Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL107185 · OSTI ID:2345252

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^[2]; Yuan, Ke ^[2];

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Institute of Mechanics Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China, School of Engineering Science University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
Chemical Sciences Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN USA

Abstract The formation of new mineral phases in confined environments, especially in porous media, is crucial for various geological processes like mineralization and diagenesis. The nucleation and precipitation of minerals are initiated at the microscale through fluid‐rock interaction, where dissolution of primary phases leads to supersaturated conditions and nucleation and growth of secondary ones. Previous research has focused primarily on either precipitation or nucleation, without fully exploring their combined impact. Our study introduces a computational framework that integrates classical nucleation theory with the micro‐continuum method. We validated our model by comparing with experiments, and discovered that different surface nucleation rate changes the mode of precipitation from a preferential to uniform precipitate textures. Furthermore, our study uncovered that the conventional deterministic precipitation method tends to underestimate the permeability of the porous matrix. In contrast, the new framework significantly improves model accuracy by incorporating preferential precipitation and heterogeneous nucleation.

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Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division (CSGB)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231; AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2345252

Journal Information:: Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 51; ISSN 0094-8276

Publisher:: American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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