title: Enhanced permeation of a hydrophobic fluid through particles with hydrophobic and hydrophilic patterned surfaces.
abstract: The wetting properties of solid surfaces are significant in oil/gas and liquid displacement processes. It is difficult for hydrophobic fluids to permeate channels filled with hydrophilic particles and an aqueous phase, and this is thought to be the primary cause of low yields in low permeability reservoir operations. Using three-dimensional lattice Boltzmann simulations, we show that particles with hydrophobic and hydrophilic patterned surfaces can greatly improve hydrophobic fluid permeation. Specifically, a hydrophobic fluid can easily access micro-channels in the hydrophobic regions, which extend rapidly even to the hydrophilic regions and accelerate hydrophobic fluid escape. This work enriches understanding of multiphase flow in porous media at the pore scale and fracture conductivity and is expected to have great significance in the exploitation of low permeability reservoirs and shale gas.
authors.affiliation: Division of Interfacial Water and Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China.
authors.forename: Renliang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Light Industry, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China.
authors.forename: Yousheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: College of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China.
authors.forename: Binghai
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Division of Interfacial Water and Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.affiliation: Division of Interfacial Water and Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China.
authors.forename: Haiping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fang