Characteristics of Fluid–Fluid Displacement in Model Mixed-Wet Porous Media: Patterns, Pressures and Scalings

Characteristics of Fluid–Fluid Displacement in Model Mixed-Wet Porous Media: Patterns, Pressures and Scalings

Ashkan Irannezhad, Bauyrzhan K. Primkulov, Ruben Juanes, Benzhong Zhao

We study fluid–fluid displacement in simple mixed-wet porous micromodels consisting of distinct water-wet and oil-wet regions, whose fractions are varied systematically. We find that the impact of mixed-wettability depends on the complex interplay between wettability fraction and the intrinsic contact angle. For example, the fractal dimension of the displacement pattern is a monotonically increasing function of wettability fraction in flow cells with strongly water-wet clusters, but it becomes non-monotonic in flow cells with weakly water-wet clusters. Additionally, mixed-wettability also manifests itself in the injection pressure signature, which exhibits fluctuations especially at low wettability fraction.

Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 967, A27 (2023)
Corresponding Author: Benzhong Zhao

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