Pore-scale investigation on the effect of gas-liquid phase separation on reactive flow in a horizontal rough fracture using the lattice Boltzmann method

Abstract In this study, the effect of the gas-liquid phase separation caused by seawater boiling on the carbonate crack dissolution process was investigated using the lattice Boltzmann (LB) method at the pore scale. The gas-liquid two-phase flow with phase change, heat transfer, and solute transport is described by a single-component multiphase LB model, thermal LB model, and mass transport LB model, respectively. In addition, the dissolved solid mass is calculated via the Volume of Pixel method. The main conclusions are as follows: the phase separation negatively affects dissolution, especially in the upper boundary of the crack. Moreover, the negative effect is strengthened with the increase in inlet velocity and the decrease in crack width while the influence of wettability on dissolution is non-linear and its degree depends on the phase distribution of the two phases. In addition, slug flow greatly hinders solute transport but may accelerate the dissolution reaction near the inlet.