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Quantitative visualization of two-phase flow in a fractured porous medium
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  • Zhen Liao,
  • Russell L Detwiler,
  • Esther S Cookson,
  • Wanjun Lei,
  • Yi-Feng Chen
Zhen Liao
State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science
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Russell L Detwiler
University of California, Irvine

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Esther S Cookson
University of California, Irvine
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Wanjun Lei
State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science
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Yi-Feng Chen
Wuhan University
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Abstract

Two-phase fluid flow in fractured porous media impacts many natural and industrial processes but our understanding of flow dynamics in these systems is constrained by difficulties measuring the flow in the interacting fracture and porous media. We present a novel experimental system that allows quantitative visualization of the air and water phases in a single analog fractured porous medium. The fracture system consists of a sintered-glass porous plate in contact with an impermeable glass plate. A reservoir connected to the porous plate allows control of pore pressure within the porous medium. The fracture fills and drains through the porous matrix and flow manifolds along two edges of the fracture. The fracture is mounted in an imaging system that includes a controlled light-emitting diode (LED) panel and a charge-coupled-device (CCD) camera. Flow and pressure are controlled and monitored by a computer during experiments. To demonstrate this system, we carried out a series of cyclic drainage and imbibition experiments in fractures bounded by porous media with different pore-size distributions in the porous matrix. Images of the drainage process demonstrate that the air-water distribution within the fracture evolves differently than has been observed in non-porous fractured systems. Specifically, we observed limited trapping of water within the fracture during drainage. Conversely, during imbibition, because air cannot exit through the porous matrix, significant regions of air became entrapped once pathways to the fracture boundaries became water filled. The differences in phase evolution led to substantial differences in the evolution of estimated relative permeability with saturation.
11 Aug 2023Submitted to ESS Open Archive
14 Aug 2023Published in ESS Open Archive