A two-phase, pore-scale reactive transport model for the kinetic
interface- sensitive tracer
Abstract
Previous laboratory experiments with KIS tracers have shown promising
results with respect to the quantification of fluid-fluid interfacial
area (IFA) for dynamic, two-phase flow conditions. However, pore-scale
effects relevant for two-phase flow (e.g. the formation of
hydrodynamically stagnant/ immobile zones) are not yet fully understood,
and quantitative information in how far these effects influence the
transport of the tracer reaction products is not yet available.
Therefore, a pore-scale numerical model that includes two-phase,
reactive flow and transport of the KIS tracer at the fluid-fluid
interface is developed. We propose a new method to quantitatively
analyze how the concentration of the KIS-tracer reaction product in the
effluent is affected by the presence of immobile zones. The model
employs the phase field method (PFM) and a new continuous mass transfer
formulation, consistent with the PFM. We verify the model with the
analytical solution of a reaction-diffusion process for two-phase flow
conditions in a conceptual capillary tube. The applicability of the
model is demonstrated in NAPL/water drainage scenarios in a conceptual
porous domain, comparing the results in terms of the spatial
distribution of the phases and the quantified macro-scale parameters
(saturation, capillary pressure, IFA and solute concentration).
Furthermore, we distinguish the mobile and immobile zones based on the
local Péclet number, and the corresponding solute mass in these two
zones is quantified. Finally, we show that the outflow concentration can
be employed to selectively determine the mobile part of the IFA.