Fluid flow in porous media is a critical phenomenon that underlies a wide range of natural and engineered systems, including geological reservoirs, biological tissues, and industrial filtration processes. Recent advances have revealed that microscale chemical gradients are sustained by pore-scale chaotic flow dynamics, challenging the conventional understanding of porous transport processes. This discovery has significant implications for various fields, including oil and gas production, biological research, and industrial filtration.
The CHORUS project aims to explore the origin, diversity, and consequences of chaotic mixing in porous and fractured media. To achieve this, the project team will develop novel experimental, numerical, and theoretical approaches to study the complex dynamics of fluid flow in porous media. Specifically, the team will design a new generation of imaging techniques, combining laser-induced fluorescence, refractive index matching, and additive manufacturing, to create complex and realistic porous and fractured architectures.
These advanced imaging techniques will enable the team to study the behavior of fluids in porous media at the microscale, providing valuable insights into the mechanisms of chaotic mixing. The team will then use these findings to develop new modeling concepts for describing scalar mixing and dispersion in microscale and multiscale systems. These models will be essential for predicting and optimizing fluid flow in complex porous media, which is critical for various industrial and biological applications.
Ultimately, the CHORUS project aims to design "smart" porous flows with porous architectures that selectively optimize mixing, dispersive, or reactive properties. This will enable the creation of advanced materials and systems that can be tailored to specific applications, such as improved oil recovery, enhanced biological processes, or more efficient filtration systems.
