Experimental study of 3D fingering of immiscible fluids in porous media

The efficiency and safety of subsurface energy storage and sequestration solutions heavily rely on the site conditions of the host reservoir rock, which if compromised, can lead to severe environmental hazards. This project focuses on the study of unstable fluid propagation within porous reservoir rock material, which is pivotal in the loss of sealing capacity of underground storages. In particular, we are interested in the fast bifurcation phenomenon known as fluid fingering that occurs when an invasive fluid percolates within a porous medium. To get an in-depth understanding that will potentially allow mitigating these instabilities, it is paramount to investigate fluid fingering in 4D (3D + time) within representative conditions. Preliminary results confirm that it is possible to reproduce and record the fingering phenomena. The future experiments at ESRF will allow for the first time worldwide quantitative characterization of rapid fingering development in geomaterials.

地下储能与封存解决方案的效率与安全性，高度依赖于宿主储集岩的场地条件；若该条件遭到破坏，将引发严重的环境危害。本项目聚焦于多孔储集岩介质内的不稳定流体运移研究，该现象是地下储层密封能力丧失的关键诱因。具体而言，我们重点关注多孔介质中侵入流体渗流时出现的、被称为流体指进（fluid fingering）的快速分叉现象。为深入理解该现象并实现对这类不稳定性的防控，在典型工况下开展四维（三维+时间）尺度下的流体指进研究至关重要。前期研究结果已证实，可复现并记录该指进现象。未来将在欧洲同步辐射光源（ESRF）开展的实验，将实现全球范围内首次对地质材料中快速流体指进演化过程的定量表征。