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Review of Microfluidic Devices and Imaging Techniques for Fluid Flow Study in Porous Geomaterials
- Source :
- Sensors, Vol 20, Iss 4030, p 4030 (2020), Sensors, Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Understanding transport phenomena and governing mechanisms of different physical and chemical processes in porous media has been a critical research area for decades. Correlating fluid flow behaviour at the micro-scale with macro-scale parameters, such as relative permeability and capillary pressure, is key to understanding the processes governing subsurface systems, and this in turn allows us to improve the accuracy of modelling and simulations of transport phenomena at a large scale. Over the last two decades, there have been significant developments in our understanding of pore-scale processes and modelling of complex underground systems. Microfluidic devices (micromodels) and imaging techniques, as facilitators to link experimental observations to simulation, have greatly contributed to these achievements. Although several reviews exist covering separately advances in one of these two areas, we present here a detailed review integrating recent advances and applications in both micromodels and imaging techniques. This includes a comprehensive analysis of critical aspects of fabrication techniques of micromodels, and the most recent advances such as embedding fibre optic sensors in micromodels for research applications. To complete the analysis of visualization techniques, we have thoroughly reviewed the most applicable imaging techniques in the area of geoscience and geo-energy. Moreover, the integration of microfluidic devices and imaging techniques was highlighted as appropriate. In this review, we focus particularly on four prominent yet very wide application areas, namely “fluid flow in porous media”, “flow in heterogeneous rocks and fractures”, “reactive transport, solute and colloid transport”, and finally “porous media characterization”. In summary, this review provides an in-depth analysis of micromodels and imaging techniques that can help to guide future research in the in-situ visualization of fluid flow in porous media.
- Subjects :
- Capillary pressure
geoscience
geo-energy engineering
Computer science
0208 environmental biotechnology
Microfluidics
pore-scale
02 engineering and technology
Review
lcsh:Chemical technology
Biochemistry
Analytical Chemistry
Colloid
porous media
micromodels
Fluid dynamics
lcsh:TP1-1185
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Process engineering
Porosity
Instrumentation
microfluidic devices
business.industry
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
imaging techniques
020801 environmental engineering
Characterization (materials science)
Visualization
geomaterials
transport phenomena
0210 nano-technology
business
Relative permeability
Transport phenomena
Porous medium
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14248220
- Volume :
- 20
- Issue :
- 4030
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Sensors
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....42f916b26dd2683271837b257f40591f