Experimental demonstration of the suppression of viscous fingering in a partially miscible system

Phase separation is ubiquitous in nature and technology. So far, the focus has primarily been on phase separation occurring in the bulk phase. Recently, phase separation taking place in interfacial areas has attracted more attention - in particular, a combination of interfacial phase separation and hydrodynamics. Studies on this combination have been conducted intensively in this past decade; however, the detailed dynamics remain unclear. Here, we perform fluid displacement experiments, where a less viscous solution displaces a more viscous one in a radially confined geometry and phase separation occurs at the interfacial region. We demonstrate that a finger-like pattern, due to the viscosity contrast during the displacement, can be suppressed by the phase separation. We also claim that the direction of a body force, the so-called Korteweg force, which appears during the phase separation and induces convection, determines whether the fingering pattern is suppressed or changed to a droplet pattern. The change of the fingering pattern to the droplet pattern is enhanced by the Korteweg force directed from the less viscous solution to the more viscous one, whereas the fingering is suppressed by the force directed in the opposite direction. These findings will contribute directly to the higher efficiency of processes such as enhanced oil recovery and CO2 sequestration, where interfacial phase separation is considered to occur during the flow.

Automated summary

Phase separation occurring at the interface has attracted more attention recently, especially when combined with hydrodynamics. This study investigates the dynamics of phase separation during fluid displacement experiments in a radially confined geometry. The results show that the fingering pattern caused by viscosity contrast can be suppressed by phase separation, and the direction of the Korteweg force determines whether the pattern changes to droplets or remains as fingering. These findings have direct implications for improving processes such as enhanced oil recovery and CO2 sequestration.