Investigation on the similarity scaling principle of two-phase displacement in porous media under hypergravity via microfluidic experiments and centrifuge
Investigation on the similarity scaling principle of two-phase displacement in porous media under hypergravity via microfluidic experiments and centrifuge
To investigate and validate gravitational scaling of two phase displacement, experiments based on microfluidic apparatus are deployed in this study, utilizing microfluidic chips with pillars uniformly arranged in a triangular pattern as idealized porous media. Chips of two sizes are designed and fabricated according to scaling law derived theoretically, enabling direct observation of two-phase displacement processes. Bulk flow characteristics, including flow patterns, displacement efficiency fractal dimension, and breakthrough time are analysed to assess adherence to similarity. The results corroborate the theoretical scaling framework while revealing the gravitational effect in governing temporal and spatial scaling of displacement processes. These findings advance fundamental understanding of multiphase flow similarity and provide insights for hypergravity-assisted physical modelling in geotechnical and reservoir engineering applications.
Wenyuan Wang; Bate Bate; P. Liu
11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)
Session 2: Scaling laws and fundamentals
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICPMG2026-77