Evaluation of 3D printed microfluidic networks to study fluid flow in rocks
Visualizing fluid flow in porous media can provide a better understanding of transport phenomena at the pore scale. In this regard, transparent micromodels are suitable tools to investigate fluid flow in porous media. However, using glass as the primary material makes them inappropriate for predicti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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EDP Sciences
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Oil & Gas Science and Technology |
| Online Access: | https://ogst.ifpenergiesnouvelles.fr/articles/ogst/full_html/2021/01/ogst200368/ogst200368.html |
| _version_ | 1818865538831482880 |
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| author | Mousavi Seyed Mahdi Sadeghnejad Saeid Ostadhassan Mehdi |
| author_facet | Mousavi Seyed Mahdi Sadeghnejad Saeid Ostadhassan Mehdi |
| author_sort | Mousavi Seyed Mahdi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Visualizing fluid flow in porous media can provide a better understanding of transport phenomena at the pore scale. In this regard, transparent micromodels are suitable tools to investigate fluid flow in porous media. However, using glass as the primary material makes them inappropriate for predicting the natural behavior of rocks. Moreover, constructing these micromodels is time-consuming via conventional methods. Thus, an alternative approach can be to employ 3D printing technology to fabricate representative porous media. This study investigates fluid flow processes through a transparent microfluidic device based on a complex porous geometry (natural rock) using digital-light processing printing technology. Unlike previous studies, this one has focused on manufacturing repeatability. This micromodel, like a custom-built transparent cell, is capable of modeling single and multiphase transport phenomena. First, the tomographic data of a carbonate rock sample is segmented and 3D printed by a digital-light processing printer. Two miscible and immiscible tracer injection experiments are performed on the printed microfluidic media, while the experiments are verified with the same boundary conditions using a CFD simulator. The comparison of the results is based on Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM), where in both miscible and immiscible experiments, more than 80% SSIM is achieved. This confirms the reliability of printing methodology for manufacturing reusable microfluidic models as a promising and reliable tool for visual investigation of fluid flow in porous media. Ultimately, this study presents a novel comprehensive framework for manufacturing 2.5D realistic microfluidic devices (micromodels) from pore-scale rock images that are validated through CFD simulations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T10:49:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e8d1355701e545cea89b086cd4f5fa40 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1294-4475 1953-8189 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T10:49:09Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | EDP Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oil & Gas Science and Technology |
| spelling | doaj.art-e8d1355701e545cea89b086cd4f5fa402022-12-21T20:25:07ZengEDP SciencesOil & Gas Science and Technology1294-44751953-81892021-01-01765010.2516/ogst/2021029ogst200368Evaluation of 3D printed microfluidic networks to study fluid flow in rocksMousavi Seyed Mahdi0Sadeghnejad Saeid1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7386-4158Ostadhassan MehdiDepartment of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares UniversityDepartment of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares UniversityVisualizing fluid flow in porous media can provide a better understanding of transport phenomena at the pore scale. In this regard, transparent micromodels are suitable tools to investigate fluid flow in porous media. However, using glass as the primary material makes them inappropriate for predicting the natural behavior of rocks. Moreover, constructing these micromodels is time-consuming via conventional methods. Thus, an alternative approach can be to employ 3D printing technology to fabricate representative porous media. This study investigates fluid flow processes through a transparent microfluidic device based on a complex porous geometry (natural rock) using digital-light processing printing technology. Unlike previous studies, this one has focused on manufacturing repeatability. This micromodel, like a custom-built transparent cell, is capable of modeling single and multiphase transport phenomena. First, the tomographic data of a carbonate rock sample is segmented and 3D printed by a digital-light processing printer. Two miscible and immiscible tracer injection experiments are performed on the printed microfluidic media, while the experiments are verified with the same boundary conditions using a CFD simulator. The comparison of the results is based on Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM), where in both miscible and immiscible experiments, more than 80% SSIM is achieved. This confirms the reliability of printing methodology for manufacturing reusable microfluidic models as a promising and reliable tool for visual investigation of fluid flow in porous media. Ultimately, this study presents a novel comprehensive framework for manufacturing 2.5D realistic microfluidic devices (micromodels) from pore-scale rock images that are validated through CFD simulations.https://ogst.ifpenergiesnouvelles.fr/articles/ogst/full_html/2021/01/ogst200368/ogst200368.html |
| spellingShingle | Mousavi Seyed Mahdi Sadeghnejad Saeid Ostadhassan Mehdi Evaluation of 3D printed microfluidic networks to study fluid flow in rocks Oil & Gas Science and Technology |
| title | Evaluation of 3D printed microfluidic networks to study fluid flow in rocks |
| title_full | Evaluation of 3D printed microfluidic networks to study fluid flow in rocks |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of 3D printed microfluidic networks to study fluid flow in rocks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of 3D printed microfluidic networks to study fluid flow in rocks |
| title_short | Evaluation of 3D printed microfluidic networks to study fluid flow in rocks |
| title_sort | evaluation of 3d printed microfluidic networks to study fluid flow in rocks |
| url | https://ogst.ifpenergiesnouvelles.fr/articles/ogst/full_html/2021/01/ogst200368/ogst200368.html |
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