Blob dynamics

Immiscible flow in porous media is characterized by the movement of individual disconnected non-wetting phase blobs (otherwise called ganglia) in the limit of low residual saturations. These blobs become mobile or stranded depending on local (pore scale) flow conditions and their interaction with other mobile blobs.

Through a series of experiments, we study the dynamics of the blob flow process and the conditions leading to stranding and remobilization of individual blobs. This work is performed in collaboration with prof. Dominique Salin, FAST Laboratory, CNRS, France. (Related work #1, # 2)