Acoustically activated release of organic liquids in porous media: a multiscale experimental investigation using laser-based optical diagnostics

多孔介质是一种包含开放空隙的材料，液体可以被捕获。多孔介质中液体的捕获在各种技术和自然发生的过程中是重要的，包括诸如石油的自然资源的提取。 页岩和砂岩是两种类型的沉积岩，由于这些类型岩石的孔隙度，它们作为石油的共同来源。 从岩石中提取石油是一个能源密集型的过程，只产生约40%的总可用石油。 其余的仍然被困在岩石内部的空隙中。 提高提取率所需的技术极其昂贵，而且可能比最初的提取过程造成更大的环境损害。 本项目将研究声波可用于提高含油岩石中石油产量的假设。 声波是有利的，因为它们可以通过岩石传播很长的距离，并且不会将潜在的污染源引入石油储层。 分析和实验相结合的方法将被用来描述通过多孔介质的多相流相关的传输现象。 由此产生的信息将深入了解多孔系统中多相流的生长，破裂和相分离，这些多孔系统可以应用于石油开采之外，例如油漆，化妆品，药品和加工食品的生产和性能。 该项目的总体目标是实验研究从多孔油岩模拟物中声学分离油相。这些实验的结果将被用来开发一个缩放模型的基础上的基本原则来描述油相分离多孔介质在多个尺度。为实现这一目标，本项目的具体任务是：（1）开发二维含油多孔介质实验微观模型作为对照;（2）声学驱动二维微模型并使用流动可视化和微观粒子图像测速来研究所得到的两相流场，并开发了一个三维比例模型，以表征作为注入速率、频率和输入电压的函数的所观察到的行为（其与声压和能量密度直接相关）;以及（3）在实验模型中使用基于激光的流动可视化来研究和改进三维多孔油岩模拟物中的声致动，以验证缩放模型。 该研究小组将与西班牙裔工程师协会合作，为大约700名西班牙裔高中学生提供声学讲座。这些讲座将利用研究产品来增强学生的学习体验，并为他们提供对STEM领域的见解。该团队还将与卓越学术计划互动，以激励新生，特别是那些来自代表性不足的群体，并向他们介绍声学领域。 该项目由颗粒和多相过程以及刺激竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A porous medium is a material that contains open voids where liquid can become trapped. Trapping of liquid in a porous medium is important in a variety of technological and naturally-occurring processes, including extraction of natural resources such as petroleum. Shale and sandstone are two types of sedimentary rock that serve as a common source of petroleum due the porosity of these types of rock. Extracting oil from rock is an energy intensive process that only yields about 40% of the total available oil. The remainder remains trapped inside void spaces within the rock. Improving the extraction yield requires techniques that are prohibitively expensive and can cause greater environmental harm than the initial extraction process. This project will investigate the hypothesis that acoustic sound waves can be used to improve the yield of petroleum from oil-bearing rock. Sound waves are advantageous because they can travel long distances through rock and do not introduce potential sources of contamination to the petroleum reservoir. A combination of analytical and experimental approaches will be used to describe transport phenomena related to multiphase flow through porous media. The resulting information will yield insight into the growth, break up and phase separation of multiphase flows in porous systems that can have applications beyond the extraction of oil, such as the production and performance of paints, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and processed foods. The overall objective of this project is to experimentally investigate acoustic separation of an oil phase from a porous oil rock analog. The results of these experiments will be used to develop a scaling model based on fundamental principles to describe oil phase separation from porous media across multiple scales. To achieve this objective, the specific tasks of the project are: (1) develop a two-dimensional experimental micromodel of oil-trapping porous media to serve as a control; (2) acoustically actuate the two-dimensional micromodel and use flow visualization and microscopic particle image velocimetry to study the resulting two-phase flow fields, and develop a three-dimensional scaling model to characterize the observed behavior as a function of injection rate, frequency, and input voltage (which is directly related to acoustic pressure and energy density); and (3) investigate and refine acoustic actuation in a three-dimensional porous oil rock analog using laser-based visualization of flows in an experimental model to validate scaling models. The research team will collaborate with the Society of Hispanic Engineers to deliver lectures on acoustics to a Hispanic high school population of about 700 students. These lectures will utilize research products to enhance the learning experience of the students and provide them with insight into the STEM field. The team will also interact with the Academic Program for Excellence to inspire freshman students, especially those from underrepresented groups, and to introduce them to the field of acoustics. This project is jointly funded by Particulate and Multiphase Processes and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.