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Bao B, Feng J, Qiu J, Zhao S. Direct Measurement of Minimum Miscibility Pressure of Decane and CO 2 in Nanoconfined Channels. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:943-953. [PMID: 33458546 PMCID: PMC7808140 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c05584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Determining gas and oil minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) plays a vital role in the enhanced oil recovery. Injecting gases above the MMP into oil reservoirs leads to a relatively high oil recovery ratio. For conventional reservoirs, the fluid bulk MMP is measured by lab techniques such as the rising bubble approach. However, for the increasingly important tight and shale reservoirs, oil is confined in nanoscale pores. Nanoscopic MMP remains largely unknown from experiments and relies heavily on theoretical predictions. To close this gap, we developed a nanofluidic device to determine the MMP down to 50 nm by measuring the fluorescence intensity change in a nanoconfined channel. CO2 and decane are used as the working fluids, with 1% fluorescent dye for characterization. At the isothermal condition, the fluorescence intensity in decane reduces with the injecting CO2 pressure increasing, and the maximum fluorescence intensity reduction at certain CO2 pressure indicates the MMP being reached. We measured and compared CO2 and decane MMP at the bulk scale (5 μm) and nanoscale (50 nm). The experimental results align well with literature data and theoretical predictions. Importantly, our nanofluidic approach provides a promising strategy to determine the nanoscopic fluid MMP and is readily applicable in assisting the enhanced tight/shale oil recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Bao
- State
Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering and School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Jia Feng
- State
Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering and School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Junjie Qiu
- State
Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering and School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Shuangliang Zhao
- State
Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering and School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
- Guangxi
Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Resource Processing and Process Intensification
Technology and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
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2
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Nazari M, Davoodabadi A, Huang D, Luo T, Ghasemi H. Transport Phenomena in Nano/Molecular Confinements. ACS NANO 2020; 14:16348-16391. [PMID: 33253531 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c07372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The transport of fluid and ions in nano/molecular confinements is the governing physics of a myriad of embodiments in nature and technology including human physiology, plants, energy modules, water collection and treatment systems, chemical processes, materials synthesis, and medicine. At nano/molecular scales, the confinement dimension approaches the molecular size and the transport characteristics deviates significantly from that at macro/micro scales. A thorough understanding of physics of transport at these scales and associated fluid properties is undoubtedly critical for future technologies. This compressive review provides an elaborate picture on the promising future applications of nano/molecular transport, highlights experimental and simulation metrologies to probe and comprehend this transport phenomenon, discusses the physics of fluid transport, tunable flow by orders of magnitude, and gating mechanisms at these scales, and lists the advancement in the fabrication methodologies to turn these transport concepts into reality. Properties such as chain-like liquid transport, confined gas transport, surface charge-driven ion transport, physical/chemical ion gates, and ion diodes will provide avenues to devise technologies with enhanced performance inaccessible through macro/micro systems. This review aims to provide a consolidated body of knowledge to accelerate innovation and breakthrough in the above fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoumeh Nazari
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, 4726 Calhoun Road, Houston, Texas 77204, United States
| | - Ali Davoodabadi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, 4726 Calhoun Road, Houston, Texas 77204, United States
| | - Dezhao Huang
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Tengfei Luo
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Hadi Ghasemi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, 4726 Calhoun Road, Houston, Texas 77204, United States
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3
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Hulikal Chakrapani T, den Otter WK. Capillary Imbibition of Binary Fluid Mixtures in Nanochannels. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:12712-12722. [PMID: 32993296 PMCID: PMC7594272 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Many-body Dissipative Particle Dynamics (MDPD) simulations of binary fluid mixtures imbibing cylindrical nanochannels reveal a strong segregation of fluids differing in their affinities to the pore walls. Surprisingly, the imbibition front furthest into the channel is highly enriched in the fluid with the lower affinity for the walls, i.e., the fluid less prone to enter the pore. This effect is caused by the more-wetting fluid forming a monolayer covering the walls of the pore, while the lesser-wetting fluid is expelled from the walls to the interior of the pore where the higher axial flow velocity carries it to the front. The fluids remix after cessation of the flow. Nonwetting fluids can be made to enter a pore by mixing with a small amount of wetting fluid. The imbibition depth of the mixtures scales with the square root of time, in agreement with Bell-Cameron-Lucas-Washburn theory for pure fluids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thejas Hulikal Chakrapani
- MultiScale Mechancs, Faculty
of Engineering Technology and MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands
| | - Wouter K. den Otter
- MultiScale Mechancs, Faculty
of Engineering Technology and MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands
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4
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Zhang Y, Khorshidian H, Mohammadi M, Sanati-Nezhad A, Hejazi SH. Functionalized multiscale visual models to unravel flow and transport physics in porous structures. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 175:115676. [PMID: 32193027 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The fluid flow, species transport, and chemical reactions in geological formations are the chief mechanisms in engineering the exploitation of fossil fuels and geothermal energy, the geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2), and the disposal of hazardous materials. Porous rock is characterized by a wide surface area, where the physicochemical fluid-solid interactions dominate the multiphase flow behavior. A variety of visual models with differences in dimensions, patterns, surface properties, and fabrication techniques have been widely utilized to simulate and directly visualize such interactions in porous media. This review discusses the six categories of visual models used in geological flow applications, including packed beds, Hele-Shaw cells, synthesized microchips (also known as microfluidic chips or micromodels), geomaterial-dominated microchips, three-dimensional (3D) microchips, and nanofluidics. For each category, critical technical points (such as surface chemistry and geometry) and practical applications are summarized. Finally, we discuss opportunities and provide a framework for the development of custom-built visual models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqi Zhang
- Interfacial Flows and Porous Media Laboratory, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; BioMEMS and Bioinspired Microfluidic Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Hossein Khorshidian
- Interfacial Flows and Porous Media Laboratory, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; BioMEMS and Bioinspired Microfluidic Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Mehdi Mohammadi
- Interfacial Flows and Porous Media Laboratory, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; BioMEMS and Bioinspired Microfluidic Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Canada
| | - Amir Sanati-Nezhad
- Interfacial Flows and Porous Media Laboratory, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; BioMEMS and Bioinspired Microfluidic Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Centre for Bioengineering Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - S Hossein Hejazi
- Interfacial Flows and Porous Media Laboratory, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
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Zhong J, Alibakhshi MA, Xie Q, Riordon J, Xu Y, Duan C, Sinton D. Exploring Anomalous Fluid Behavior at the Nanoscale: Direct Visualization and Quantification via Nanofluidic Devices. Acc Chem Res 2020; 53:347-357. [PMID: 31922716 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.9b00411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Nanofluidics is the study of fluids under nanoscale confinement, where small-scale effects dictate fluid physics and continuum assumptions are no longer fully valid. At this scale, because of large surface-area-to-volume ratios, the fluid interaction with boundaries becomes more pronounced, and both short-range steric/hydration forces and long-range van der Waals forces and electrostatic forces dictate fluid behavior. These forces lead to a spectrum of anomalous transport and thermodynamic phenomena such as ultrafast water flow, enhanced ion transport, extreme phase transition temperatures, and slow biomolecule diffusion, which have been the subject of extensive computational studies. Experimental quantification of these phenomena was also enabled by the advent of nanofluidic technology, which has transformed challenging nanoscale fluid measurements into facile optical and electrical recordings. Our groups' focus is to investigate nanoscale (2 to 103 nm) fluid behaviors in the context of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics through the development of novel nanofluidic tools, to examine the applicability of classical equations at the nanoscale, to identify the source of deviations, and to explore new physics emerging at this scale. In this Account, we summarize our recent findings regarding liquid transport, vaporization, and condensation of nanoscale-confined liquids. Our study of nanoscale water transport identified an additional resistance in hydrophilic nanochannels, attributed to the reduced cross-sectional area caused by the formation of an immobile hydration layer on the surfaces. In contrast, a reduction in flow resistance was discovered in graphene-coated hydrophobic nanochannels, due to water slippage on the graphene surface. In the context of vaporization, the kinetic-limited evaporation flux was measured and found to exceed the classical theoretical prediction by an order of magnitude in hydrophilic nanochannels/nanopores as a result of the thin film evaporation outside of the apertures. This factor was eliminated by modifying the hydrophobicity of the aperture's exterior surface, enabling the identification of the true kinetic limits inside nanoconfinements and a crucial confinement-dependent evaporation coefficient. The transport-limited evaporation dynamics was also quantified, where experimental results confirmed the parallel diffusion-convection resistance model in both single nanoconduits and nanoporous systems at high accuracy. Furthermore, we have extended our studies to different aspects of condensation in nanoscale-confined spaces. The initiation of condensation for a single-component hydrocarbon was observed to follow the Kelvin equation, whereas for hydrocarbon mixtures it deviated from classical theory because of surface-selective adsorption, which has been corroborated by simulations. Moreover, the condensation dynamics deviates from the bulk and is governed by either vapor transport or liquid transport depending on the confinement scale. Overall, by using novel nanofluidic devices and measurement strategies, our work explores and further verifies the applicability of classical fluid mechanics and thermodynamic equations such as the Navier-Stokes, Kelvin, and Hertz-Knudsen equations at the nanoscale. The results not only deepen our understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena of nanoscale fluids but also have important implications for various industrial applications such as water desalination, oil extraction/recovery, and thermal management. Looking forward, we see tremendous opportunities for nanofluidic devices in probing and quantifying nanoscale fluid thermophysical properties and more broadly enabling nanoscale chemistry and materials science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Zhong
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Mohammad Amin Alibakhshi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Quan Xie
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Jason Riordon
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Yi Xu
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Chuanhua Duan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - David Sinton
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
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Zhong J, Zhao Y, Lu C, Xu Y, Jin Z, Mostowfi F, Sinton D. Nanoscale Phase Measurement for the Shale Challenge: Multicomponent Fluids in Multiscale Volumes. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2018; 34:9927-9935. [PMID: 30074806 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b01819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Hydrocarbon recovery from shale reservoirs provides an increasing share of world energy. These resources are multicomponent fluid mixtures within multiscale geometries, and understanding their associated phase-change thermodynamics presents an array of challenges for experimentalists, theorists, operators, and policy makers. Here, we quantify hydrocarbon mixture phase behavior via direct imaging of connected channels spanning 4 orders of magnitude (10 nm to 10 μm) with supporting density functional theory. The methane/propane mixture dew point shifts, with early condensation of heavy components in nanopores because of a combination of capillarity and competitive surface adsorption. The bubble point in nanoconfinement is found to be deeply suppressed (∼3-fold), to below the bulk dew point of the original mixture, because of the exchange of mixture components with larger connected volumes. The trapping of the heaviest components of hydrocarbon mixtures within the smallest connected pores has implications for shale operations, reserve estimation, and ultimately energy security.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Zhong
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering , University of Toronto , 5 King's College Road , Toronto M5S 3G8 , Ontario , Canada
| | - Yinuo Zhao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , University of Alberta , 9211 - 116 Street NW , Edmonton , Alberta T6G 1H9 , Canada
| | - Chang Lu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , University of Alberta , 9211 - 116 Street NW , Edmonton , Alberta T6G 1H9 , Canada
| | - Yi Xu
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering , University of Toronto , 5 King's College Road , Toronto M5S 3G8 , Ontario , Canada
| | - Zhehui Jin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , University of Alberta , 9211 - 116 Street NW , Edmonton , Alberta T6G 1H9 , Canada
| | - Farshid Mostowfi
- Schlumberger-Doll Research , 1 Hampshire Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02139 , United States
| | - David Sinton
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering , University of Toronto , 5 King's College Road , Toronto M5S 3G8 , Ontario , Canada
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Zhong J, Talebi S, Xu Y, Pang Y, Mostowfi F, Sinton D. Fluorescence in sub-10 nm channels with an optical enhancement layer. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:568-573. [PMID: 29372196 DOI: 10.1039/c7lc01193h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescence microscopy uniquely enables physical and biological research in micro- and nanofluidic systems. However, in channels with depths below 10 nm, the limited number of fluorophores results in fluorescence intensity below the detection limit of optical microscopes. To overcome this barrier, we applied Fabry-Pérot interference to enhance fluorescence intensity with a silicon nitride layer below the sub-10 nm channel. A silicon nitride layer of suitable thickness can selectively enhance both absorption and emission wavelengths, leading to a fluorescent signal that is enhanced 20-fold and readily imaged with traditional microscopes. To demonstrate this method, we studied the mass transport of a binary solution of ethanol and Rhodamin B in 8 nm nanochannels. The large molecular size of Rhodamin B (∼1.8 nm) relative to the channel depth results in both separation and reduced diffusivity, deviating from behavior at larger scales. This method extends the widely available suite of fluorescence analysis tools and infrastructure to unprecedented sub-10 nm scale with relevance to a wide variety of biomolecular interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Zhong
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada.
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8
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Zhong J, Riordon J, Zandavi SH, Xu Y, Persad AH, Mostowfi F, Sinton D. Capillary Condensation in 8 nm Deep Channels. J Phys Chem Lett 2018; 9:497-503. [PMID: 29323911 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b03003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Condensation on the nanoscale is essential to understand many natural and synthetic systems relevant to water, air, and energy. Despite its importance, the underlying physics of condensation initiation and propagation remain largely unknown at sub-10 nm, mainly due to the challenges of controlling and probing such small systems. Here we study the condensation of n-propane down to 8 nm confinement in a nanofluidic system, distinct from previous studies at ∼100 nm. The condensation initiates significantly earlier in the 8 nm channels, and it initiates from the entrance, in contrast to channels just 10 times larger. The condensate propagation is observed to be governed by two liquid-vapor interfaces with an interplay between film and bridging effects. We model the experimental results using classical theories and find good agreement, demonstrating that this 8 nm nonpolar fluid system can be treated as a continuum from a thermodynamic perspective, despite having only 10-20 molecular layers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Zhong
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Jason Riordon
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Seyed Hadi Zandavi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Yi Xu
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Aaron H Persad
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Farshid Mostowfi
- Schlumberger-Doll Research , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - David Sinton
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
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