Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37217556›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2023

Experimental and numerical investigation of polymer pore-clogging in micromodels.

Antonia Sugar, Maged Serag, Ulrich Buttner, Marwan Fahs, Satoshi Habuchi, Hussein Hoteit

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Antonia SugarPhysical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Maged SeragBiological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Ulrich ButtnerNanofabrication Core Lab, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Marwan FahsInstitut Terre et Environnement de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, ENGEES, Strasbourg, France.
Satoshi HabuchiBiological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Hussein HoteitPhysical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Hussein.hoteit@kaust.edu.sa.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology · SAEcole Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement de Strasbourg (ENGEES) · FR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Polymers have been used effectively in the Oil & Gas Industry for a variety of field applications, such as enhanced oil recovery (EOR), well conformance, mobility control, and others. Polymer intermolecular interactions with the porous rock, in particular, formation clogging and the associated alterations to permeability, is a common problem in the industry. In this work, fluorescent polymers and single-molecule imaging are presented for the first time to assess the dynamic interaction and transport behavior of polymer molecules utilizing a microfluidic device. Pore-scale simulations are performed to replicate the experimental observations. The microfluidic chip, also known as a "Reservoir-on-a-Chip" functions as a 2D surrogate to evaluate the flow processes that take place at the pore-scale. The pore-throat sizes of an oil-bearing reservoir rock, which range from 2 to 10 nm, are taken into consideration while designing the microfluidic chip. Using soft lithography, we created the micromodel from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The conventional use of tracers to monitor polymers has a restriction due to the tendency of polymer and tracer molecules to segregate. For the first time, we develop a novel microscopy method to observe the dynamic behavior of polymer pore-clogging and unclogging processes. We provide direct dynamic observations of polymer molecules during their transport within the aqueous phase and their clustering and accumulations. Pore-scale simulations were carried out to simulate the phenomena using a finite-element simulation tool. The simulations revealed a decline in flow conductivity over time within the flow channels that experienced polymer accumulation and retention, which is consistent with the experimental observation of polymer retention. The performed single-phase flow simulations allowed us to assess the flow behavior of the tagged polymer molecules within the aqueous phase. Additionally, both experimental observation and numerical simulations are used to evaluate the retention mechanisms that emerge during flow and how they affect apparent permeability. This work provides new insights to assessing the mechanisms of polymer retention in porous media.

Identifiers

PMID37217556
PMCPMC10203338
OpenAlexW4377294003

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.