Three-dimensional pore-scale visualization and trajectory analysis of colloid transport and retention in saturated porous media

The research contained in this thesis investigates the transport and deposition behavior of 1.1 and 3im carboxylate-modified microspheres in saturated porous media under unfavorable deposition conditions. Colloid motion and deposition patterns are visualized in three dimensions using a high-speed confocal microscope and micromodels packed with glass beads or sand grains. This study specifically focuses on colloid behavior in the grain-to-grain contact region, which has been suggested in previous studies as an important location for colloid retention under unfavorable conditions. The use of the high resolution confocal microscope allowed the distinction of two types of colloidal retention that can occur in the grain-to-grain contact region and showed that single surface retention was much more abundant than retention on two surfaces (straining). This study also demonstrated that both the extent and rate of straining are enhanced by increasing flow rate. In addition to obtaining qualitative descriptions of colloid deposition patterns, this study is the first to provide quantitative analysis of the motion of individual colloidal particles leading to the construction of three-dimensional colloid trajectory in both the bulk phase and grain-to-grain contact regions. The results demonstrated the dominant effects of hydrodynamics on colloid motions, i.e., most colloids entering the grain-to-grain contact region tend to follow the streamlines to detour the contact point, making straining a transport-limited process. Retention in the secondary energy minimum can significantly retard colloid movement but this association was not strong enough to keep the retained colloid inside the energy well over time. Colloid retention and movement through sand-packed sand micromodels were more complex compared to those packed with glass beads due to the more complex hydrodynamic conditions resulting from the irregular packing geometry and surface roughness of sand. These results suggest that theoretical torque analysis based on the idealized scenarios is not a suitable approach for describing colloid transport and deposition under unfavorable conditions in complex natural porous media.