Dissolution Phase Diagram in Radial Geometry
Xu Le, Piotr Szymczak, Renaud Toussaint, Eirik G. Flekkøy, Knut Jørgen Måløy
Abstract
Fractures play an important role as flow paths in porous media. When an undersaturated reactive fluid is flowing in a fracture, the dissolution process will alter the flow paths locally. Dissolution patterns grow slowly, but they may lead to a dramatic reorganization of the flow. Here, we study dissolution in a radial geometry, which is relevant for a number of practical applications, e.g. the acidization of oil reservoirs. Different dissolution patterns are presented in a phase diagram with the Péclet and Damköhler numbers as parameters. We also analyze quantitatively the density of wormholes and the relation between the aperture roughness and the ramified patterns.