Capillary jumps of fluid-fluid fronts across an elementary constriction in a model open fracture

We study experimentally the quasistatic displacement of an oil-air front across a localized constriction in a model open fracture. The front experiences capillary jumps at one end of the constriction in both imbibition and drainage, leading to a microscale pressure-saturation hysteresis cycle. At th...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Planet Latorre, Ramon; Díaz Piola, Lautaro; Ortín, Jordi, 1959-
Format: Article
Status:Published version
Publication date:2020
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Barcelona
Repository:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/157966
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/157966
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Dinàmica de fluids
Anàlisi numèrica
Fluid dynamics
Numerical analysis
Description
Summary:We study experimentally the quasistatic displacement of an oil-air front across a localized constriction in a model open fracture. The front experiences capillary jumps at one end of the constriction in both imbibition and drainage, leading to a microscale pressure-saturation hysteresis cycle. At the other end the front is reversibly pinned. A condition of local mechanical equilibrium between the restoring elasticity of the front and the distortion produced by the local change in aperture captures all we measure quantitatively, in terms of material and geometrical properties only.