• 한국지하수토양환경학회지:지하수토양환경
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.35-48
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• 2016

A micromodel was applied to estimate the effects of geological conditions and injection methods on displacement of resident porewater by injecting scCO₂ in the pore scale. Binary images from image analysis were used to distinguish scCO₂-filled-pores from other pore structure. CO₂ flooding followed by porewater displacement, fingering migration, preferential flow and bypassing were observed during scCO₂ injection experiments. Effects of pressure, temperature, salinity, flow rate, and injection methods on storage efficiency in micromodels were represented and examined in terms of areal displacement efficiency. The measurements revealed that the areal displacement efficiency at equilibrium decreases as the salinity increases, whereas it increases as the pressure and temperature increases. It may result from that the overburden pressure and porewater salinity can affect the CO₂ solubility in water and the hydrophilicity of silica surfaces, while the neighboring temperature has a significant effect on viscosity of scCO₂. Increased flow rate could create more preferential flow paths and decrease the areal displacement efficiency. Compared to the continuous injection of scCO₂, the pulse-type injection reduced the probability for occurrence of fingering, subsequently preferential flow paths, and recorded higher areal displacement efficiency. More detailed explanation may need further studies based on closer experimental observations.

• 한국지하수토양환경학회지:지하수토양환경
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.1-13
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• 2018

A series of experiments using transparent micromodels with an artificial pore network etched on glass plates was performed to investigate the effects of flow rate on the migration and distribution of resident wetting porewater (deionized water) and injecting non-wetting fluid (n-hexane). Multicolored images transformed from real RGB images were used to distinguish n-hexane from porewater and pore structure. Hexane flooding followed by immiscible displacement with porewater, migration through capillary fingering, preferential flow and bypassing were observed during injection experiments. The areal displacement efficiency increases as the injection of n-hexane continues until the equilibrium reaches. Experimental results showed that the areal displacement efficiency at equilibrium increases as the flow rate increases. Close observation reveals that preferential flowpaths through larger pore bodies and throats and clusters of entrapped porewater were frequently created at lower flow rate. At higher flow rate, randomly oriented forward and lateral flowpaths of n-hexane displaces more porewater at an efficiency close to stable displacement. It may resulted from that the pore pressure of n-hexane, at higher flow rate, increases fast enough to overcome capillary pressure acting on smaller pore throats as well larger ones. Experimental results in this study may provide fundamental information on migration and distribution of immiscible fluids in subsurface porous media.

• 자원환경지질
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• 제51권3호
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• pp.223-232
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• 2018

본 연구는 이산화탄소 지중저장 과정에서 주입 유체의 온도 변화가 심부 지질구조 내로 주입된 초임계 이산화탄소의 거동과 대체율에 미치는 영향을 정량적으로 규명하기 위하여 초임계 이산화탄소 대체 유체인 헥산을 적용한 마이크로모델 실험을 수행하였다. 본 실험에서는 탈이온수로 포화된 마이크로모델 내부로 헥산의 주입이 개시되는 시점부터 헥산과 공극수의 분포가 평형상태를 이루는 시점까지의 비혼성 대체 과정을 시각적으로 관찰하였다. 실험을 통하여 획득한 이미지는 분석 프로그램을 통하여 전체 공극 구조에 대한 헥산의 대체 면적비를 산정하는데 사용하였으며, 단일 공극 규모에서와 거시적 규모에서의 헥산과 공극수의 거동 및 분포 분석을 통하여 주입 유체의 온도가 비혼성 대체 과정에 미치는 영향을 규명하였다. 주입 유체의 온도 변화에 따른 관측 실험의 결과, 온도가 증가함에 따라 점도, 밀도, 계면장력 등과 같은 유체의 물성 및 공극 구조에 작용하는 모관압의 변화로 인하여 헥산의 대체 면적비는 감소하는 경향을 나타내었다. 이러한 실험 결과는 효율적인 이산화탄소 지중저장을 수행하기 위해서는 이산화탄소 주입이 이루어지는 심부 지질구조의 환경 및 주입 조건에 대한 이해가 필수적임을 시사하였다.