Influence of Salinity on Water Flow in Porous Media

Abstract

The percolation model for electrokinetic flow of electrolyte in porous media is developed. In the context of this model taking into account ionic concentration of solution, zeta-potential, pore-metric curve and surface properties of porous media analytic dependence for filtration rate is obtained. The model results are in good agreement with experimental data obtained by authors (filtration of saline water in sandstone samples). Determined that in the presence of sufficient amount of capillaries with radius comparable with the thickness of EDL, the rate of filtration noticeably decreases as against the velocity of filtration without influence of EDL, that is interpreted as electro-viscous effect in porous media.