Influence of emulsion inner phase concentration on permeability of deposit during flow through porous media

The issue of emulsion flow through porous media plays an important role in the development of land purification methods from various oily substances, as well as during the oil extraction process. The concentration of the emulsion dispersed phase exerts a strong influence on the rheological properties. The oil in water emulsions (O/W), that have a concentration of less than 0.5 (or 50%), show Newtonian behavior, and those with higher concentrations non-Newtonian. The flow of such systems through the structure of the porous medium is, therefore, also dependent on the variable rheological properties of the liquid. When the emulsion flows through the porous medium, a reduction of the relative permeability occurs. Due to that the transport may be very effectively limited, as the pores of deposit are being blocked by oil droplets. The paper presents studies on emulsion flow, with various concentrations, through a granular bed. It allowed to track changes in the permeability of the deposit over time. The results of experimental studies of transport and elution of highly concentrated emulsions from granular structures are also presented. This enabled tracking of changes in flow resistance of the emulsion through the porous bed in time. Moreover, the development of the mathematical model, which allows us to define the relationship between the bed blockage degree and the concentration of the emulsion internal phase could be the result of the experimental works. The results of such studies are very widely used in practice, among other things, in the issues of migration of pollutants, such as petroleum substances, in the soil layers. The development of knowledge in this field may contribute to the optimization of existing oil recovery techniques and methods of remediation of soil from organic substances