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Linking pore-scale interfacial curvature to column-scale capillary pressure

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  • Synchrotron-based tomographic datasets of oil–water drainage and imbibition cycles have been analyzed to quantify phase saturations and interfacial curvature as well as connected and disconnected fluid configurations. This allows for close observation of the drainage and imbibition processes, assessment of equilibrium states, and studying the effects of fluid phase disconnection and reconnection on the resulting capillary pressures and interfacial curvatures. Based on this analysis estimates of capillary pressure calculated from interfacial curvature can be compared to capillary pressure measured externally with a transducer. Results show good agreement between curvature-based and transducer-based measurements when connected phase interfaces are considered. Curvature measurements show a strong dependence on whether an interface is formed by connected or disconnected fluid and the time allowed for equilibration. The favorable agreement between curvature-based and transducer-based capillary pressure measurements shows promise for the use of image-based estimates of capillary pressure for interfaces that cannot be probed with external transducers as well as opportunities for a detailed assessment of interfacial curvature during drainage and imbibition.
  • Keywords: Imbibition, Capillary pressure, Drainage, Interfacial curvature, Young–Laplace, Computed microtomography
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  • Armstrong, R., Porter, M., & Wildenschild, D. (2012). Linking pore-scale interfacial curvature to column-scale capillary pressure. ADVANCES IN WATER RESOURCES, 46, 55-62. doi: 10.1016/j.advwatres.2012.05.009
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  • 46
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  • Acknowledgment is made to the Donors of the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund for support (or partial support) of this research (grant number 48505-AC9) and by US NSF (EAR 337711 and EAR 0610108). Microtomography was performed at GeoSoilEnviroCARS (Sector 13), Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory. GeoSoilEnviroCARS is supported by the National Science Foundation-Earth Sciences (EAR-0217473), Dept. of Energy-Geosciences (DE-FG01-94ER14466) and the State of Illinois. Additionally, we would like to acknowledge the following people for their help with either collecting the data: Mark Rivers (GSECARS APS/University of Chicago), or with interpreting the results: James McClure (University of North Carolina), Casey Miller (University of North Carolina), William Gray (University of North Carolina), and Adrian Sheppard (Australian National University).
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