Abstract:

We measure the velocity dependence of the capillary pressure, ΔPc(v), between two fluids in a porous medium. At zero velocity, the interface is pinned, and a critical ΔPc must be achieved before the interface moves. For nonzero velocities, there is an additional dynamic component to ΔPc, which scales as v12 when a wetting fluid displaces a nonwetting fluid. We suggest that this dynamic component of ΔPc can stabilize viscous fingers, and obtain excellent agreement with experiment.

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