Print Email Facebook Twitter Viscoelastic effects on residual oil distribution in flows through pillared microchannels Title Viscoelastic effects on residual oil distribution in flows through pillared microchannels Author De, S. (Eindhoven University of Technology) Krishnan, P. (Eindhoven University of Technology) van der Schaaf, J. (Eindhoven University of Technology) Kuipers, J. A.M. (Eindhoven University of Technology) Peters, E. A.J.F. (Eindhoven University of Technology) Padding, J.T. (TU Delft Intensified Reaction and Separation Systems) Date 2018 Abstract Hypothesis Multiphase flow through porous media is important in a number of industrial, natural and biological processes. One application is enhanced oil recovery (EOR), where a resident oil phase is displaced by a Newtonian or polymeric fluid. In EOR, the two-phase immiscible displacement through heterogonous porous media is usually governed by competing viscous and capillary forces, expressed through a Capillary number Ca, and viscosity ratio of the displacing and displaced fluid. However, when viscoelastic displacement fluids are used, elastic forces in the displacement fluid also become significant. It is hypothesized that elastic instabilities are responsible for enhanced oil recovery through an elastic microsweep mechanism. Experiments In this work, we use a simplified geometry in the form of a pillared microchannel. We analyze the trapped residual oil size distribution after displacement by a Newtonian fluid, a nearly inelastic shear thinning fluid, and viscoelastic polymers and surfactant solutions. Findings We find that viscoelastic polymers and surfactant solutions can displace more oil compared to Newtonian fluids and nearly inelastic shear thinning polymers at similar Ca numbers. Beyond a critical Ca number, the size of residual oil blobs decreases significantly for viscoelastic fluids. This critical Ca number directly corresponds to flow rates where elastic instabilities occur in single phase flow, suggesting a close link between enhancement of oil recovery and appearance of elastic instabilities. Subject Displacement fluidEnhanced oil recoveryOil droplet size distributionViscoelastic instability To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:7bd5d115-e66a-4e60-b1af-dfa2f083bbc5 DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2017.09.069 Embargo date 2019-09-23 ISSN 0021-9797 Source Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 510, 262-271 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2018 S. De, P. Krishnan, J. van der Schaaf, J. A.M. Kuipers, E. A.J.F. Peters, J.T. Padding Files PDF Paper_JCIS_final.pdf 1.71 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:7bd5d115-e66a-4e60-b1af-dfa2f083bbc5/datastream/OBJ/view