Capillary Pressure [Lab-scale Vs Continuum-scale]

At laboratory-scale investigations, using experiments, whether, the inlet-outlet pressure difference is no more a good measure of the continuum-scale capillary pressure?

If so, then, the experimental data of capillary pressure-saturation functions, where, the sample spanning pressure drop can no more be used as a proxy for the macroscopic capillary pressure?

Whether such macroscopic capillary pressures based on the pressure difference between inlet and outlet

(a)        would remain to significantly differ from the phase averaging capillary pressures?

(b)       won’t it depend linearly on cosine theta?

Then, how could we consider capillary pressure (and relative permeability functions) towards deducing the aquifer wettability effects?

Feasible to deduce macroscopic CO2 flow parameters in the absence of precisely measuring the contact angle in a mineral-brine-CO2 system?

Suresh Kumar Govindarajan

Professor (HAG)  IIT-Madras

https://home.iitm.ac.in/gskumar/

https://iitm.irins.org/profile/61643

22-July-2024