ERI: Impact of pore-scale heterogeneity on precipitation and transport in porous media

溶质在多孔结构和地下系统中的沉淀可能导致一系列意想不到的问题，包括堵塞孔隙，例如在卤水含水层中注入二氧化碳时的盐析出。该奖项旨在研究水溶性聚合物在多孔介质中的沉淀，以及介质非均质性对降水和跨介质传输的影响。软光刻技术将被用于制造具有不同非均质性的二维多孔环境。利用光学显微镜，在注入抗溶剂以沉淀聚合物时，将监测网络结构和流动分布的变化。这些研究将揭示降水和堵塞如何调节连通孔隙网络中的水流分布。该奖项的更广泛影响包括培训研究生和本科生研究这些及时的问题，并发展对多孔介质中传输的定量理解。它还将使新的演示能够启发和吸引K-12学生参加在当地男孩和女孩俱乐部教授的科学课程。这个奖项将开发新的实验技术和改进的数学模型，以产生对多孔介质中反应传输的基本理解。其目的是研究由于降水引起的介质非均质性和动态网络变化如何影响多孔介质中的长期平流和反应过程。系统地考虑了以下目标：1)研究局部介质非均质性在平流为主向反应为主转变过程中的作用，以及2)降水对溶质的自限输运。平流率和降水率与系统对局部变化响应的时间尺度之间的相关性将被用来预测因反应性输送而造成的阻塞。这一结果将提供基于工业操作中可获得的散装传输特性的反应传输的基本模型，以保持渗流和避免堵塞。更广泛地说，这一奖项将促进对受限和非均质环境中两种可混合流体界面上的自我调节增长的理解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The precipitation of solutes in porous structures and subsurface systems can cause a cascade of unexpected issues, including clogging of pores, as in the salt precipitation upon injection of CO2 in a brine aquifer. This award aims to investigate the precipitation of water-soluble polymers in porous media and the impact of medium heterogeneity on precipitation and transport across the medium. Soft lithography will be used to fabricate two-dimensional porous environments with different heterogeneities. Using optical microscopy, the changes in network structure and flow distribution will be monitored upon injection of antisolvent to precipitate the polymer. These studies will reveal how precipitation and clogging regulate the flow distribution in the network of connected pores. The broader impacts of this award include training graduate students and undergraduates to study these timely problems and to develop a quantitative understanding of transport in porous media. It will also enable new demonstrations to inspire and engage K-12 students in the Science lessons delivered at the local Boys and Girls Club.This award will develop new experimental techniques and improved mathematical models to generate a fundamental understanding of reactive transport in porous media. The goal is to investigate how medium heterogeneity and dynamic network changes due to precipitation impact long-term advection and reaction processes in porous media. The following systematic aims are considered: 1) the study of the role of local medium heterogeneity in the transition between advection-dominated and reaction-dominated regimes, and 2) the self-limiting transport of solute due to precipitation. The correlation between advection and precipitation rates with the time scale of the response of the system to local changes will be used to predict clogging due to reactive transport. The results will provide foundational models of reactive transport based on bulk transport properties accessible in industrial operations to maintain percolation and avoid clogging. More broadly, this award will advance the understanding of self-regulating growth at the interface of two miscible fluids in a confined and heterogeneous environment.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.