Title: From Pores to Cores: How Flow Interruptions Shape Particle Deposition
Speaker: Tongtong Yu is a PhD student in WP1–Reservoir Physics with a
background in petroleum engineering. Her current research at
NORCE focuses on experimental studies of particle transport in
porous media at both core scale and pore scale.
Date : 10 April 2026
Below are the key highlights from the webinar, including a short summary designed for our non‑technical audience.
Scientific summary 🔬
This webinar presented experimental PhD research on particle transport and retention in porous media, with direct relevance for produced water reinjection in oil and gas reservoirs. Produced water contains solid particles, oil droplets, salts and other contaminants that may reduce injectivity through particle deposition and filter cake formation.
The study combined core‑scale and pore‑scale experiments to investigate how injection strategy and pore structure affect particle filtration and deposition:
- Core flooding experiments using Bentheimer cores compared continuous and cyclic injection, tracking pressure development and particle migration.
- More frequent cyclic injection caused higher pressure build‑up and a more compact external filter cake.
- Particle deposition was mainly confined to the near‑inlet region, with a penetration depth of ~5 mm, confirmed by pressure data and CT imaging.
Complementary microfluidic experiments provided pore‑scale insight, showing that particle transport depends strongly on injection rate, particle size and pore geometry, rather than bulk velocity alone. Together, the results demonstrate that injectivity impairment is controlled by a complex interplay between flow dynamics and pore‑scale structure, underscoring the need for reservoir‑specific injection strategies.
Non‑technical summary 🌍
Produced water is a large‑volume by‑product of oil and gas production that can be reinjected into underground reservoirs instead of discharged to sea. However, small particles in the water may clog rock pores and reduce injection performance.
Laboratory experiments using rock samples and 2D microchips showed that particles tend to accumulate close to the injection point and that stop–start injection can compress the particle layer forming at the rock surface. These findings help explain performance decline during reinjection and support more efficient and lower‑emission produced water management.