Flow of particle suspensions through porous media

A new attempt to study the mechanisms of particle invasions into porous media was made. The following subjects are described: A critical survey of the literature indicating that the mechanism of particle invasions is not known in sufficient detail. The pros and cons of existing particle measuring devices are briefly described. Results from a new laboratory study on particle characterizations are given. The results of the laboratory studies on the flow of particle suspensions through porous media (up to 200 md) are discussed. The effects of flow rate and particle concentrations on the amount of damage (i.e., permeability impairment) and depth of penetration (from core inlet towards outlet) are particularly emphasized. Filter methods (e.g., using millipore filter) cannot be used to determine particle invasions into porous medium. Any predictions of the injection problems based on millpore for (or any other filter) measurements are useless and should be discarded.