In the mix
Snapshot of the concentration field during the unstable displacement of a more viscous fluid (dark) by a fully-miscible, less viscous fluid (light).Image: Birendra Jha Mixing fluids in small spaces is a big problem in many industries where introducing one fluid can help extract another, such as pumping water underground to release oil trapped in porous rock. Now, researchers in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) say a simple new method may improve efficiency in oil recovery and other applications: fluids of different viscosity that combine to create “viscous fingers” able to induce efficient mixing in tight spaces.“Getting two fluids to mix in a very tight space is difficult because there’s not much room for a disorderly flow,” says Ruben Juanes, the ARCO Associate Professor in Energy Studies at MIT and principal investigator on the research, which received funding from the Italian energy company Eni. “But with two fluids of...