Pore-scale physics of drying porous media revealed by Lattice Boltzmann simulations

Abstract

In this study, the Shan Chen Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is implemented to simulate pore-scale physics of drying porous media. The pore-scale mechanisms responsible for multiphase fluid transport in drying porous media are revisited, and the physical effects such as capillary valve effect and Haines jumps are delineated. Fluctuations observed in drying rate curves are realized to be caused by Haines jumps during the fast invasion of the gas phase into the complex geometry of the pore space. Furthermore, it is observed that the fluctuations are significant in the initial period of drying and diminish as the drying front recedes into the porous medium. The observed fluctuations in drying rate curves render the inspiration to reconcile LBM and pore network model as a hybrid pore-scale technique to track the micro–macro interactions in drying porous media.