A stochastic theory for deep bed filtration accounting for dispersion and size distributions

We develop a stochastic theory for filtration of suspensions in porous media. The theory takes into account particle and pore size distributions, as well as the random character of the particle motion, which is described in the framework of the theory of continuous-time random walks (CTRW). In the limit of the infinitely many small walk steps we derive a system of governing equations for the evolution of the particle and pore size distributions. We consider the case of concentrated suspensions, where plugging the pores by particles may change porosity and other parameters of the porous medium. A procedure for averaging of the derived system of equations is developed for polydisperse suspensions with several distinctive particle sizes. A numerical method for solution of the flow equations is proposed. Sample calculations are applied to compare the roles of the particle size distribution and of the particle flight dispersion on the deposition profiles. It is demonstrated that the temporal flight dispersion is the most likely mechanism forming the experimentally observed hyperexponential character of the deposition profiles.     

Gravity driven instabilities in miscible non-Newtonian fluid displacements in porous media

Gravity driven instabilities in model porous packings of 1 mm diameter spheres are studied by comparing the broadening of the displacement front between fluids of slightly different densities in stable and unstable configurations. Water, water–glycerol and water–polymer solutions are used to vary independently viscosity and molecular diffusion and study the influence of shear-thinning properties. Both injected and displaced solutions are identical but for a different concentration of NaNO₃ salt used as an ionic tracer and to introduce the density contrast. Dispersivity in stable configuration increases with polymer concentration – as already reported for double porosity packings of porous grains. Gravity-induced instabilities are shown to develop below a same threshold Péclet number Pe for water and water–glycerol solutions of different viscosities and result in considerable increases of the dispersivity. Measured threshold Pe values decrease markedly on the contrary with polymer concentration. The quantitative analysis demonstrates that the development of the instabilities is controlled by viscosity through a characteristic gravity number G (ratio between hydrostatic and viscous pressure gradients). A single threshold value of G accounts for results obtained on Newtonian and non-Newtonian solutions.     

Random walk particle tracking simulations of non-Fickian transport in heterogeneous media

Derivations of continuum nonlocal models of non-Fickian (anomalous) transport require assumptions that might limit their applicability. We present a particle-based algorithm, which obviates the need for many of these assumptions by allowing stochastic processes that represent spatial and temporal random increments to be correlated in space and time, be stationary or non-stationary, and to have arbitrary distributions. The approach treats a particle trajectory as a subordinated stochastic process that is described by a set of Langevin equations, which represent a continuous time random walk (CTRW). Convolution-based particle tracking (CBPT) is used to increase the computational efficiency and accuracy of these particle-based simulations. The combined CTRW–CBPT approach enables one to convert any particle tracking legacy code into a simulator capable of handling non-Fickian transport.     

Diffusion of oriented particles in porous media

Diffusion of particles in porous media often shows subdiffusive behavior. Here, we analyze the dynamics of particles exhibiting an orientation. The features we focus on are geometrical restrictions and the dynamical consequences of the interactions between the local surrounding structure and the particle orientation. This interaction can lead to particles getting temporarily stuck in parts of the structure. Modeling this interaction by a particular random walk dynamics on fractal structures we find that the random walk dimension is not affected while the diffusion constant shows a variety of interesting and surprising features.     

Reflection and transmission of acoustic waves on multilayered porous media

Based on the Boit theory of acoustic wave propagation in fluid-satu-rated porous medium we have studied in this paper the acoustic reflection andtransmission on multilayered porous media,in which the adequate boundaryconditions across the interfaces are taken into account.Numerical calculationsof the reflection and transmission coefficients at different incident angles andfrequencies of the fast compressional wave incident on porous media with threeor four layers are presented.The results indicate that the maximum or mini-mum reflection and transmission coefficients appear at certain ratios of thewavelength to the thickness.The acoustic incident angle and porous mediumproperties are shown to affect significantly these coefficients.As an example,the measured transmission coefficients in a water-saturated fused glass beadsample are in good agreement with theoretical prediction.     

A multi-length-scale theory of the anomalous mixing-length growth for tracer flow in heterogeneous porous media

We develop a multi-length-scale (multifractal) theory for the effect of rock heterogeneity on the growth of the mixing layer of the flow of a passive tracer through porous media. The multifractal exponent of the size of the mixing layer is determined analytically from the statistical properties of a random velocity (permeability) field. The anomalous diffusion of the mixing layer can occur both on finite and on asymptotic length scales.     

A class of stochastic evolutions that scale to the porous medium equation

A class of reversible Markov jump processes on a periodic lattice is described and a result about their scaling behavior stated: Under diffusion scaling, the empirical measure converges to a solution of the porous medium equation on thed-dimensional torus. The process can be viewed as a randomly interacting configuration of sticks that evolves through exchanges of stick pieces between nearest neighbors through a zero-range pressure mechanism, with conservation of total stick length.     

Random walk in a random medium in one dimension

Applying scaling and universality arguments, the long-time behavior of the probability distribution for a random walk in a one-dimensional random medium satisfying Sinai's constraint is obtained analytically. The convergence to this asymptotic limit and the fluctuations of this distribution are evaluated by solving numerically the stochastic equations for this walk.     

An exponential integrator for advection-dominated reactive transport in heterogeneous porous media

We present an exponential time integrator in conjunction with a finite volume discretisation in space for simulating transport by advection and diffusion including chemical reactions in highly heterogeneous porous media representative of geological reservoirs. These numerical integrators are based on the variation of constants solution and solving the linear system exactly. This is at the expense of computing the exponential of the stiff matrix comprising the finite volume discretisation. Using real Léja points or a Krylov subspace technique compared to standard finite difference-based time integrators. We observe for a variety of example applications that numerical solutions with exponential methods are generally more accurate and require less computational cost. They hence comprise an efficient and accurate method for simulating non-linear advection-dominated transport in geological formations.     

Imaging water fluxes in porous media by magnetic resonance imaging using D(2)O as a tracer

In this study, we investigate the usefulness of D(2)O as a conservative tracer for monitoring water flux by MRI in a heterogeneous sand column. The column consisted of a cylindrical 3x9-cm packing of fine sand in which an 8-mm diameter cylindrical obstacle was placed. Constant steady-state flux densities between J(w)=0.07 and 0.28 cm min(-1) corresponding to mean pore flow velocities between 0.20 and 0.79 cm min(-1) were imposed at the top of the sand column, and a constant hydraulic head of -39 cm was maintained at the lower boundary. We injected pulses of 0.01 M NiCl(2) and 55% D(2)O and monitored the motion of the tracer plumes by MRI using a fast spin echo sequence over a period of 20 min. We observed that the center of gravity of all plumes moved with the mean pore flow velocity, which showed that D(2)O behaves as a conservative tracer. The motion of the tracer plume at J(w)=0.14 cm min(-1) was validated by a numerical simulation using HYDRUS2D, which reproduced the experimentally observed behavior very satisfactorily.     

Conditional methods for continuum reacting flows in porous media

A special version of conditional moment closure—PCMC—is suggested for modeling reacting flows in porous media. The model involves conditioning on a special tracer scalar, which is introduced to characterize scalar transport in the gaseous phase. (i.e., for the flow in the interparticle space or in the pores). The model accounts for interparticle variations of species concentrations and emulates diffusion in the interparticle space. Special boundary conditions that are consistent with conventional conditions at the phase interface are obtained for the PCMC model. The model is tested against complete direct simulation of a reacting flow in porous media with favourable results.     

Research on the effective gas diffusion coefficient in dry porous media embedded with a fractal-like tree network

A theoretical model for the relative gas diffusion coefficient in dry porous media embedded with a Y-shaped fractal-like tree network is presented under the combination of bulk diffusion and Knudsen diffusion. The proposed model is expressed as a function of the length ratio, the diameter ratio, the branching level, the branching angle and the relative areal porosity. The effect of the structural parameters of the medium and the tortuosity on gas diffusion is analyzed in detail. Model predictions are compared with available experimental data, and a fair agreement between them is found.     

A numerical simulation method for dissolution in porous and fractured media

We describe an algorithm for simulating reactive flows in porous media, in which the pore space is mapped explicitly. Chemical reactions at the solid–fluid boundaries lead to dissolution (or precipitation), which makes it necessary to track the movement of the solid–fluid interface during the course of the simulation. We have developed a robust algorithm for constructing a piecewise continuous (C₁) surface, which enables a rapid remapping of the surface to the grid lines. The key components of the physics are the Navier–Stokes equations for fluid flow in the pore space, the convection–diffusion equation to describe the transport of chemical species, and rate equations to model the chemical kinetics at the solid surfaces. A lattice-Boltzmann model was used to simulate fluid flow in the pore space, with linear interpolation at the solid boundaries. A finite-difference scheme for the concentration field was developed, taking derivatives along the direction of the local fluid velocity. When the flow is not aligned with the grid this leads to much more accurate convective fluxes and surface concentrations than a standard Cartesian template. A robust algorithm for the surface reaction rates has been implemented, avoiding instabilities when the surface is close to a grid point. We report numerical tests of different aspects of the algorithm and assess the overall convergence of the method.     

Lattice Boltzmann simulation for temperature-sensitive magnetic fluids in a porous square cavity

A lattice Boltzmann method is developed to simulate temperature-sensitive magnetic fluids in a porous cavity. In the simulation, the magnetic force, efficient gravity, viscous loss term and geometric loss term in porous medium are imported to the momentum equation. To test the reliability of the method, a validation with water in porous cavity is carried out. Good agreements with the previous results verify that the present lattice Boltzmann method is promising for simulation of magnetic fluids in porous medium. In this study, we investigate the change of magnetization with external magnetic field, and we present numerical results for the streamlines, isotherms, and magnetization at vertical or horizontal mid-profiles for different values of Ram. In addition, Nusselt numbers changing with magnetic Rayleigh numbers are also investigated.     

Theory of sound propagation in superfluid-filled porous media

The theory of sound propagation in macroscopically isotropic and homogeneous porous media saturated with superfluid ⁴He has been developed neglecting all damping processes. The case when the normal fluid component is locked inside a porous medium by viscous forces is investigated in detail. It is shown that in this case one shear wave and two longitudinal, fast and slow, waves exist. Fast wave as well as slow wave is accompanied with temperature oscillations. The velocities of these waves are obtained.     

Non-linear peristaltic transport of a Newtonian fluid in an inclined asymmetric channel through a porous medium

Peristaltic transport of an incompressible viscous fluid in an inclined asymmetric channel through a porous medium is studied under long-wavelength and low-Reynolds number assumptions. The flow is examined in a wave frame of reference moving with the velocity of the wave. The analytical solution has been obtained in the form of a stream function from which the axial velocity and pressure gradient have been derived. The results for the pressure drop and shear stress have also been computed numerically. The effects of various physical parameters are discussed through graphs and the phenomenon of trapping is also discussed. Comparison of various wave forms (namely sinusoidal, triangular, square and trapezoidal) on the flow is discussed.     

Capacitance method for determination of basic parameters of porous silicon

Microstructure and physical characteristics of porous silicon (PS), such as thickness, bulk porosity, dielectric permittivity, and refractive index depend directly on the production conditions, e.g., on the electrolyte composition, anodizing current density, duration of etching, etc. Various possibilities of applications of PS generate high interest towards elaboration of new or modified operative nondestructive methods for testing the microstructure characteristics of PS layer for the adjustment of its processing regimes.According to the mechanism of formation of PS and experimental data on the morphology of PS layers, a porous layer is represented as a structure with cylindrical pores of equal lengths piercing the silicon frame. This approximation allows considering the structure using the parallel plate model within parallel-connected capacitances of the silicon frame and the air or liquid dielectric-filled pores.A method for obtaining information on the volume porosity, thickness, and dielectric permittivity of a PS layer by means of two measurements of the structure capacitance—in dry air and when the pores are filled by a condensed medium having a dielectric permittivity strongly differing from that of air (e.g., methanol)—is described.Sufficiently good agreement has been revealed between the data calculated from the capacitance measurements and obtained by other methods.     

光在随机增益介质中的放大

 结合环形腔理论,运用蒙特卡罗法模拟了光子在介质中的随机行走。研究了倍频Nd:YAG（脉宽6 ns,频率20 Hz）脉冲激光器作为泵浦光,在TiO₂ / 若丹明 B有机增益介质中,散射微粒的颗粒密度和泵浦光面积对随机激光器阈值强度的影响。模拟结果表明：随机激光阈值和光子在增益介质中的随机行走路程长度和光子通过边界返回增益区和非增益区的几率有关。随着泵浦光面积的增加,随机激光器阈值降低;增益介质中散射颗粒密度的增加降低了随机激光器的阈值。