Image Supplement for "Probing multiscale dissolution dynamics in natural rocks through microfluidics and compositional analysis"

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract
Mineral dissolution significantly impacts many geological systems. Carbon released by diagenesis, carbon sequestration, and acid injection are examples where geochemical reactions, fluid flow, and solute transport are strongly coupled. The complexity in these systems involves interplay between various mechanisms that operate at timescales ranging from microseconds to years. Current experimental techniques characterize dissolution processes using static images that are acquired with long measurement times and/or low spatial resolution. These limitations prevent direct observation of how dissolution reactions progress within an intact rock with spatially heterogeneous mineralogy and morphology. We utilize microfluidic cells embedded with thin rock samples to visualize dissolution with significant temporal resolution (100 ms) in a large observation window (3 × 3 mm). We injected acidic fluid into eight shale samples ranging from 8 to 86 wt % carbonate. The pre- and postreaction microstructures are characterized at the scale of pores (0.1 to 1 μm) and fractures (1 to 1,000 μm). We observe that nonreactive particle exposure, fracture morphology, and loss of rock strength are strongly dependent on both the relative volume of reactive grains and their distribution. Time-resolved images of the rock unveil the spatiotemporal dynamics of dissolution, including two-phase flow effects in real time and illustrate the changes in the fracture interface across the range of compositions. Moreover, the dynamical data provide an approach for characterizing reactivity parameters of natural heterogeneous samples when porous media effects are not negligible. The platform and workflow provide real-time characterization of geochemical reactions and inform various subsurface engineering processes.

Description

Type of resource still image
Date created August 2, 2022
Date modified July 20, 2022; August 15, 2022; August 15, 2022; December 5, 2022
Publication date July 14, 2022

Creators/Contributors

Author Ling, Bowen ORCiD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3218-4807 (unverified)
Author Sodwatana, Mo ORCiD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-6295 (unverified)
Author Kohli, Arjun ORCiD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8798-5508 (unverified)
Author Ross, Cynthia M. ORCiD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6712-1884 (unverified)
Author Jew, Adam ORCiD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6167-8769 (unverified)
Author Kovscek, Anthony R. ORCiD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1336-384X (unverified)
Author Battiato, Ilenia ORCiD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7453-6428 (unverified)

Subjects

Subject Geochemistry
Subject Microfluidics
Subject Dissolution
Subject Mineralogy
Genre Image
Genre Photograph
Genre Image
Genre Photographs

Bibliographic information

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DOI https://doi.org/10.25740/fc236gc0777
Location https://purl.stanford.edu/fc236gc0777

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User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-SA).

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Preferred citation
Ling, B., Sodwatana, M., Kohli, A., Ross, C., Jew, A., Kovscek, A., and Battiato, I. (2022). Image Supplement for "Probing multiscale dissolution dynamics in natural rocks through microfluidics and compositional analysis". Stanford Digital Repository. Available at https://purl.stanford.edu/fc236gc0777

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