scholarly journals Pore Network Simulation of Gas-Liquid Distribution in Porous Transport Layers

Processes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Vorhauer ◽  
Haashir Altaf ◽  
Evangelos Tsotsas ◽  
Tanja Vidakovic-Koch

Pore network models are powerful tools to simulate invasion and transport processes in porous media. They are widely applied in the field of geology and the drying of porous media, and have recently also received attention in fuel cell applications. Here we want to describe and discuss how pore network models can be used as a prescriptive tool for future water electrolysis technologies. In detail, we suggest in a first approach a pore network model of drainage for the prediction of the oxygen and water invasion process inside the anodic porous transport layer at high current densities. We neglect wetting liquid films and show that, in this situation, numerous isolated liquid clusters develop when oxygen invades the pore network. In the simulation with narrow pore size distribution, the volumetric ratio of the liquid transporting clusters connected between the catalyst layer and the water supply channel is only around 3% of the total liquid volume contained inside the pore network at the moment when the water supply route through the pore network is interrupted; whereas around 40% of the volume is occupied by the continuous gas phase. The majority of liquid clusters are disconnected from the water supply routes through the pore network if liquid films along the walls of the porous transport layer are disregarded. Moreover, these clusters hinder the countercurrent oxygen transport. A higher ratio of liquid transporting clusters was obtained for greater pore size distribution. Based on the results of pore network drainage simulations, we sketch a new route for the extraction of transport parameters from Monte Carlo simulations, incorporating pore scale flow computations and Darcy flow.

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Yuejin ◽  
Zhao Zhe ◽  
Nie Junnan ◽  
Xu Yingying

In view of the fact that the zone model for porous media drying cannot disclose the mechanism of liquid phase distribution effectively, a pore network model for the slow isothermal drying process of porous media was developed by applying the theories of pore network drying and transport-process, which fused the physical parameters of porous media, such as porosity, pore mean diameter, and pore size distribution into the model parameters, and a sand bed drying experiment was conducted to verify the validity of this model. The experiment and simulation results indicate that the pore network model could explain the slow isothermal drying process of porous media well. The pore size distributions of porous media have a great effect on the liquid phase distribution of the drying process. The dual-zone model is suitable for the porous media whose pore size distribution obeys Gaussian distribution, while the three-zone model is suitable for the porous media whose pore size distribution obeys the lognormal distribution when the drying analysis of porous media is conducted.


Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haashir Altaf ◽  
Nicole Vorhauer ◽  
Evangelos Tsotsas ◽  
Tanja Vidaković-Koch

Recently, pore network modelling has been attracting attention in the investigation of electrolysis. This study focuses on a 2D pore network model with the purpose to study the drainage of water by oxygen in anodic porous transport layers (PTL). The oxygen gas produced at the anode catalyst layer by the oxidation of water flows counter currently to the educt through the PTL. When it invades the water-filled pores of the PTL, the liquid is drained from the porous medium. For the pore network model presented here, we assume that this process occurs in distinct steps and applies classical rules of invasion percolation with quasi-static drainage. As the invasion occurs in the capillary-dominated regime, it is dictated by the pore structure and the pore size distribution. Viscous and liquid film flows are neglected and gravity forces are disregarded. The curvature of the two-phase interface within the pores, which essentially dictates the invasion process, is computed from the Young Laplace equation. We show and discuss results from Monte Carlo pore network simulations and compare them qualitatively to microfluidic experiments from literature. The invasion patterns of different types of PTLs, i.e., felt, foam, sintered, are compared with pore network simulations. In addition to this, we study the impact of pore size distribution on the phase patterns of oxygen and water inside the pore network. Based on these results, it can be recommended that pore network modeling is a valuable tool to study the correlation between kinetic losses of water electrolysis processes and current density.


2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 660
Author(s):  
M. Nadia Testamanti ◽  
Reza Rezaee ◽  
Jie Zou

The evaluation of the gas storage potential of shale reservoirs requires a good understanding of their pore network. Each of the laboratory techniques used for pore characterisation can be applied to a specific range of pore sizes; but if the lithology of the rock is known, usually one suitable method can be selected to investigate its pore system. Shales do not fall under any particular lithological classification and can have a wide range of minerals present, so a combination of at least two methods is typically recommended for a better understanding of their pore network. In the laboratory, the Low-Pressure Nitrogen Gas Adsorption (LP-N2-GA) technique is typically used to examine micropores and mesopores, and Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure (MICP) tests can identify pore throats larger than 3 nm. In contrast, a wider range of pore sizes in rock can be screened with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), either in laboratory measurements made on cores or through well logging, provided that the pores are saturated with a fluid. The pore network of a set of shale core samples from the Carynginia Formation was investigated using a combination of laboratory methods. The cores were studied using the NMR, LP-N2-GA and MICP techniques, and the experimental porosity and pore size distribution results are presented. When NMR results were calibrated with MICP or LP-N2-GA measurements, then the pore size distribution of the shale samples studied could be estimated.


2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (11) ◽  
pp. 10037-10049
Author(s):  
Zhenlei Yang ◽  
Binayak P. Mohanty ◽  
Yalchin Efendiev ◽  
Zhuping Sheng

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document