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

多孔介质是一种含有开放空隙的材料，液体可以在这些空隙中被困住。在各种技术和自然过程中，包括石油等自然资源的开采，在多孔介质中捕获液体是很重要的。页岩和砂岩是两种沉积岩，由于这些岩石的孔隙性，它们是石油的常见来源。从岩石中提取石油是一个能源密集型的过程，只能产生大约40%的可用石油。其余的被困在岩石的空隙中。提高提取产量需要昂贵的技术，并且可能比最初的提取过程造成更大的环境危害。本项目将探讨声波可以用来提高含油岩石中石油产量的假设。声波是有利的，因为它们可以穿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。将采用分析和实验相结合的方法来描述与通过多孔介质的多相流有关的输运现象。由此产生的信息将有助于深入了解多孔系统中多相流的生长、分解和相分离，这些多相流的应用范围不仅限于石油的提取，还可以用于油漆、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通过实验研究油相与多孔油岩模拟物的声学分离。这些实验的结果将用于建立一个基于基本原理的尺度模型，以描述油相从多孔介质中跨多个尺度的分离。为实现这一目标，本项目的具体任务为：(1)建立捕油多孔介质的二维实验微观模型作为对照；(2)声学驱动二维微模型，利用流动可视化和微观颗粒图像测速技术研究所得的两相流场，并建立三维尺度模型，将观察到的行为表征为注入速度、频率和输入电压（与声压和能量密度直接相关）的函数；(3)利用实验模型中基于激光的流动可视化来验证尺度模型，研究并改进三维多孔油岩模拟中的声驱动。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讲授声学。这些讲座将利用研究成果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，以激励大一学生，特别是那些来自代表性不足的群体的学生，并将他们介绍给声学领域。该项目是由微粒和多相工艺和建立计划，以刺激竞争研究（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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.