Direct Numerical Simulations for Additive Manufacturing in Porous Media

21世纪全球科技面临的主要挑战之一是在减少温室气体排放的同时可持续地获得能源、水和食物。这一挑战的核心是我们对多孔介质流动过程的理解，特别是我们对石油、温室气体或水等流体如何流经地下储层岩石孔隙的理解，以及这些流体如何与岩石发生物理和化学相互作用。为了加强这种理解，需要高质量的实验数据和精确的多孔介质流动问题的数值模拟方法。x射线计算机断层扫描（x射线CT）与新型数值模拟方法相结合，彻底改变了我们在孔隙尺度上对流体和岩石之间的三维物理化学相互作用进行成像和量化的能力。然而，天然多孔介质的非均质性和复杂性使得在完全可控的环境中对天然多孔介质中的流动进行可重复的x射线CT成像实验变得困难（如果不是不可能的话），在这种环境中，假设可以得到彻底的检验，新的数值模拟方法可以以一致的方式应用，以帮助解释和量化（甚至预测）实验结果。一种可以克服这个问题的变革性技术是增材制造，也被称为3D打印。3D打印的应用是多种多样的，几乎每天都在发展，从波音（Boeing）这样的公司加速生产，到奥迪（Audi）这样的公司已经打印出了发动机进气系统的部件，再到医学研究领域进行人体组织打印实验，或开发出可负担得起的检测寨卡病毒的测试。该提案的目的是应用3D打印技术来创建代表天然多孔介质的2D和3D微流控芯片，这些芯片可以在最先进的数值模拟支持的可重复和良好控制的多孔介质流动实验中部署。目前还没有报道试图将使用代表天然多孔介质的3D打印微流控芯片的实验与直接数值模拟联系起来，更不用说使用从3D打印样品的流动实验中获得的数据作为输入，为微流控芯片和多孔介质的孔隙尺度数值模拟和3D打印（2D和3D）制定国际基准标准。咨询公司麦肯锡（McKinsey）估计，3D打印的全球经济潜力将在10年内达到每年2300亿至5500亿美元，并将其视为推动全球经济增长的关键技术。像赛默飞世尔和蔡司这样的国际大公司已经为能源开采和温室气体储存相关的多孔介质应用提供了x射线CT成像和模拟的集成技术解决方案，如果x射线CT成像和模拟技术与3D打印相结合，很可能会出现重大的新商机。显然，英国将从早期采用3D打印技术进行多孔介质实验和模拟中获得科学和经济上的好处。

One of the key global technological and scientific challenges of the 21st century is the sustainable access to energy, water and food while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Central to this challenge is our understanding of porous media flow processes, specifically our understanding of how fluids such as oil, greenhouse gases or water, flow through the pores of subsurface reservoir rocks, and how these fluids interact physically and chemically with the rock. To enhance this understanding, high-quality experimental data and accurate numerical simulation methods for porous media flow problems are needed.X-Ray Computed Tomography (X-Ray CT) combined with novel numerical simulation methods has revolutionised our ability to image and quantify the 3D physio-chemical interactions between fluids and rocks at the pore-scale. Yet, the heterogeneity and complexity of natural porous media render it difficult, if not impossible, to conduct repeatable X-Ray CT imaging experiments of flow in natural porous media in a fully controlled environment where hypotheses can be tested thoroughly and new numerical simulation approaches can be applied in a consistent way to aid the interpretation and quantification (or even prediction) of experimental results. A transformative technology that could overcome this problem is additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. The applications of 3D printing are diverse and evolve almost daily, ranging from companies like Boeing that accelerate their production to companies like Audi that already print components of engine intake system to medical research that experiments with printing human tissue or develops affordable tests to detect the Zika virus. The aim of this proposal is to apply 3D printing technologies to create 2D and 3D microfluidic chips representing natural porous media that can be deployed in repeatable and well-controlled porous media flow experiments supported by state-of-the-art numerical simulations. There are no reported attempts to link experiments using 3D printed microfluidic chips representing natural porous media with direct numerical simulations, let alone using data obtained from flow experiments on 3D printed samples as input for developing an international benchmarking standard for pore-scale numerical simulations and 3D printing of microfluidic chips and porous media (in both, 2D and 3D).Consultants McKinsey have estimated that the global economic potential of 3D printing will be reach $230bn to $550bn annually in 10 years, viewing it as a key technology providing global economic growth. With major international companies like Thermo-Fisher and ZEISS already offering integrated technical solutions for X-Ray CT imaging and simulation for porous media applications related to energy extraction and greenhouse gas storage, it is likely that significant new business opportunities will emerge if X-Ray CT imaging and simulation technologies are combined with 3D printing. Clearly, the UK would benefit scientifically and economically from being an early adopter of 3D printing technologies for porous media experimentation and simulation.