In this study, capillary filling of diluted bitumen was evaluated using glass etched microchannel. Glass microchannel was treated using Trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl) silane that makes the microchannel lyophobic (not favorable for neither hydrophilic nor hydrophobic liquids). Water contact angle, as a degree of hydrophilicity, was changed from 15° for untreated microchannel to 115° for treated microchannel. Measured Capillary filling speed of bitumen in hexane (10% to 60%) was experimentally monitored using white light microscope and compared with Washburn theoretical model. For all samples, a linear relation between square of propagation distance and time was found. However, a deviation between experimental and theoretical values of penetration as a function of time was recorded. Experimental results indicated slower velocity compared to theoretical prediction due to simplifications of the Washburn model. Advancing dynamic contact angle of capillary-driven flow was measured and compared with static contact angle using MATLAB®. It was found that dynamic contact angle was increasing during the penetration in microchannel and application of a constant contact angle leads to higher deviation between experimental and theoretical results.
Simulation of capillary flow with a dynamic contact angle