Experimental insights into the interplay between buoyancy, convection and dissolution reaction
Résumé
Predicting the instabilities that occur during the chemical reaction between a percolating fluid and a soluble rock leading to the development of macroscopic channels called wormholes is a key for understanding many geological processes. Their shape and their spatial distribution depend on two dimensionless numbers, namely Damköhler (Da) and Péclet (Pe) numbers. Although the dissolution phenomenon has been extensively studied both in the context of acid stimulation of oil wells in carbonate rocks and carbon capture and storage, few works have focused on the influence of the physical properties of fluids on wormhole patterns. Consequently, through interpretation of images acquired during the injection of pure water into a 2D reconstituted salt massif and considering different configurations of injection, we illustrate the buoyancy effects on wormhole formation. Contrarily to observation in fractures, experimental results suggest that dissolution regimes can still be described by the classical dimensionless numbers Da and Pe. As for the regime diagram, it remains practically unchanged for strong Péclet and weak Damköhler and undergoes a slow down of the propagation of the dissolution front when the number of Richardson's increases. Analysis of morphological descriptors such as area, interface and tortuosity shows that density contrast has an influence on intermediate to high‐Richardson dissolution regimes that may be explained by the existence of buoyancy effects.
Fichier principal
JGR Solid Earth - 2020 - Ahoulou - Experimental Insights Into the Interplay Between Buoyancy Convection and Dissolution.pdf (3.08 Mo)
Télécharger le fichier
Origine | Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte |
---|