Research Project C06

This project investigates how rock heterogeneity influences mass transfer processes at the gas–liquid interface, how this affects salt precipitation, and how these coupled processes impact multiphase flow in porous media. Using a newly developed high-pressure, high-temperature cell, these phenomena will be studied for bubbles and droplets across various gas-liquid-solid systems under controlled conditions. Microfluidic experiments will further explore their impact on multiphase flow. Collaboration with modelling projects A01, C01 and C02 will support mechanistic understanding and enable the development of Darcy-scale descriptions.

The main objective of this project is to gain a deeper understanding of how mass-transfer processes at the gas-liquid interface – such as dissolution, exsolution, and evaporation – affect multiphase flow and trapping behaviour in heterogeneous porous media with application for subsurface gas storage in porous reservoirs. Three main research objectives have been identified, defining both the project’s goals and research approach:

1. To improve our understanding of the dynamics and kinetics of mass-transfer processes across different gas–liquid systems, a systematic experimental study is planned, involving bubbles and droplets in contact with a solid substrate in a controlled environment, using a newly developed high-pressure, high-temperature cell. This study will investigate how pressure, temperature, relative humidity, and variations in these parameters influence mass-transfer dynamics and kinetics at the gas-liquid interface. Furthermore, it will explore how these processes can trigger salt precipitation in saline brines, how this is affected by surface topology and chemical composition, and how this affects wettability. This study will be conducted in close collaboration with project A01, which will investigate the equilibrium state of gas–water systems under varying P-T conditions
2. To investigate how mass-transfer processes at the gas-liquid interface impact flow, trapping, and salt precipitation in confined spaces (e.g., pore-throat systems), microfluidic experiments will be conducted using homogeneous and heterogeneous quasi-1D pore-throat geometries. Different gas-liquid systems will be studied under both flow and no-flow conditions. The simplicity of the pore-throat system enables mathematical modelling by projects C01 and C02.
3. To investigate how these processes influence flow and trapping behaviour in homogeneous and heterogeneous porous media, experiments using quasi-2D microfluidic porous chips will be conducted for different gas-liquid systems. The results will be analysed in close collaboration with project D01, which will examine the geometry and behaviour of trapped gas ganglia over time. The experiments will be modelled by project C01 using a simulation method based on coupled multiphase and multicomponent Lattice Boltzmann augmented with a reaction-advection-diffusion model and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. The overall objective is to develop Darcy-scale descriptions of these processes.