The effect of hydraulic loading on bioclogging in porous media: Quantitative results from tomographic imaging
Abstract
Biofilm growth in porous media is generally surface attached, and pore filling. A direct result of biofilm formation is the clogging of pore space available for fluid transport. This clogging effect has come to be termed bioclogging. In physical experiments bioclogging expresses as an increase in differential pressure across experimental specimens and traditional investigations of bioclogging in 3D porous media have included measurements of bulk differential pressure changes in order to evaluate changes in permeability or hydraulic conductivity. Due to the opaque nature of most types of porous media, visualization of bioclogging has been limited to the use of 2D or pseudo-3D micromodels. As a result, bioclogging models have relied on parameters derived from 2D visualization experiments. Results from these studies have shown that even small changes in pore morphology associated with biofilm growth can significantly alter fluid hydrodynamics. Recent advances in biofilm imaging facilitate the investigation of biofilm growth and bioclogging in porous media through the implementation of x-ray computed microtomography (CMT) and a functional contrast agent. We used barium sulfate as the contrast agent which consists of a particle suspension that fills all pore space available to fluid flow. Utilization of x-ray CMT with a barium sulfate contrast agent facilitates the examination of biofilm growth at the micron scale throughout experimental porous media growth reactors. This method has been applied to investigate changes in macropore morphology associated with biofilm growth. Applied fluid flow rates correspond to initial Reynolds numbers ranging from 0.1 to 100. Results include direct comparison of measured changes in porosity and hydraulic conductivity as calculated using differential pressure measurements vs. images. In addition, parameters such as biofilm thickness, reactive surface area, and attachment surface area will be presented in order to help characterize biofilm structure at each of the investigated flow rates.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AGUFM.B13A0454I
- Keywords:
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- 0416 BIOGEOSCIENCES Biogeophysics;
- 0466 BIOGEOSCIENCES Modeling;
- 1832 HYDROLOGY Groundwater transport;
- 0540 COMPUTATIONAL GEOPHYSICS Image processing