Steady-state two-phase flow in porous media: statistics and transport properties.
We study experimentally the case of steady-state simultaneous two-phase flow in a quasi-two-dimensional porous media. The dynamics is dominated by the interplay between a viscous pressure field from the wetting fluid and bubble transport of a less viscous, nonwetting phase. In contrast with more studied displacement front systems, steady-state flow is in equilibrium, statistically speaking. The corresponding theoretical simplicity allows us to explain a data collapse in the cluster size distribution as well as the relation |nablaP| proportional, sqrt[Ca] between the pressure gradient in the system and the capillary number.
Tallakstad
Ken Tore
KT
Department of Physics, University of Oslo, P.B. 1048 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway.
Knudsen
Henning Arendt
HA
Ramstad
Thomas
T
Løvoll
Grunde
G
Måløy
Knut Jørgen
KJ
Toussaint
Renaud
R
Flekkøy
Eirik Grude
EG