A Novel Experimental Method to Obtain Apparent Viscosity of Shear-Thinning Fluids in Saturated Porous Media
EMSL Project ID
42333
Abstract
The Department of Energy (DOE) has recently funded a project to strengthen the science behind the injection of shear-thinning fluids in unconfined subsurface systems. Shear-thinning fluids, usually consisting of dissolved polymers like Xanthan gum, are becoming increasingly popular in attempts to remediate lower-permeability subsurface sediments. The properties of shear-thinning fluids improve control of injection into the subsurface through manipulation of the static fluid viscosity, injection rate, and polymer concentration. The main object of the DOE project is to incorporate the proper physics related to shear-thinning fluid behavior into the numerical simulator STOMP. For that purpose, a new experimental method to estimate apparent viscosities from known pore-water velocities needs to be tested and compared to current empirical techniques for viscosity measurements. The EMSL Subsurface Flow and Transport Laboratory has the necessary tools available to complete the required column experiments.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2010-12-07
End Date
2011-12-11
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members