Polymer conformation during flow in porous media

Journal Article (2017)
Author(s)

Durgesh Kawale (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences, Dutch Polymer Institute)

Gelmer Bouwman (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)

Shaurya Sachdev (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)

Pacelli Zitha (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)

Michiel Kreutzer (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)

Bill Rossen (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)

Pouyan Boukany (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)

Research Group
Reservoir Engineering
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1039/C7SM00817A Final published version
More Info
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Publication Year
2017
Language
English
Research Group
Reservoir Engineering
Issue number
46
Volume number
13
Pages (from-to)
8745-8755
Downloads counter
284
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Abstract

Molecular conformations of individual polymers during flow through porous media are directly observed by single-DNA imaging in microfluidics. As the Weissenberg number increases during flow (Wi > 1), we observe two types of elastic instabilities: (a) stationary dead-zone and (b) time-dependant dead-zone washing. When stretched polymer chains enter a dead-zone, they first re-coil and, once inside the dead-zone, they rotate and re-stretch again. The probability distribution of DNA chains under the stretched condition inside the dead-zone is found to be heterogeneous with a broad distribution.