An experimental study of the ultrasound effect on the motion of glass spherules in Hele-Shaw cells

This paper presents the experimental study results for the effect of ultrasound influence (USI) on the filling of the Hele-Shaw cells with glass spherules at a constant pressure drop, including the case with a stepwise constriction. The process considered represents a physical model of fractures in an oil reservoir. The experimental set-up is developed with the use of visualization methods for microfluidic studies. Exposure to the USI and constant pressure drop provides the close packing and uniform distribution of the spherules. The flow rate of the water with glass spherules, which are sieved through a 150 $\mu$m strainer in the measured model with a thickness of 200 $\mu$m, increases proportionally with an increase in the pressure drop, while for the model with the spherules sieved through a 70 $\mu$m strainer, the increase is more significant, and the flow rate is five times lower for a pressure drop of 50 kPa. The USI is revealed to be crucial for the uniform filling with the spherules, both in the volumetric models with and without constriction. When the spherules block the constriction, the USI reactivates the flow. Thus, it is a reliable method of influencing the dynamic blocking effect, which is promising for creating the technology intended to increase the ratio of hard-to-recover oil reserves in the total production balance.