arXiv · 1704.01065
Retraction of dissolution front in natural porous media
Abstract
The dissolution of porous materials in a flow field shapes the morphologies of many geologic landscapes. Identifying the dissolution front, the interface between the reactive and the unreactive regions in a dissolving medium, is a prerequisite for studying dissolution kinetics. Despite its fundamental importance, the dynamics of a dissolution front in an evolving natural microstructure has never been reported. Here we show an unexpected spontaneous migration of the dissolution front against the pressure gradient of a flow field. This retraction stems from the infiltration instability induced surface generation, which can lead to a reactive surface dramatically greater than the ex situ geometric surface. The results are supported by a very good agreement between observations made with real time X-ray imaging and simulations based on static images of a rock determined by nanoCT. They both show that the in situ specific surface area of natural porous media is dependent on the flow field and reflects a balancing between surface generation and destruction. The reported dynamics challenge many long-held understanding of water-rock interactions and shed light on reconciling the discrepancies between field and laboratory measurements of reaction kinetics.
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Yi Yang, Stefan Bruns, Melania Rogowska, Sepideh S. Hakim, Jörg U. Hammel, Susan L. S. Stipp, Henning O. Sørensen. 2017-03-27. Retraction of dissolution front in natural porous media. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23823-3
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