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US 11,534,759 B2Granted
Microfluidic chip with mixed porosities for reservoir modeling
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsWei Wang, Sehoon Chang, Martin E. Poitzsch
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Abstract
Spherical grains and sacrificial particles are mixed in a suspension. The sacrificial particles are larger than the spherical grains. The suspension is injected into a channel in a microfluidic chip, and the spherical grains form microporous structures in the channel. The microporous structures are sintered in the channel. A solvent is injected into the channel, and the solvent dissolves the sacrificial particles and forms macropores between at least some of the microporous structures, thereby forming a mixed-porosity microfluidic chip.
Claims13
A method comprising:
- mixing spherical grains and sacrificial particles in a suspension, wherein the sacrificial particles are larger than the spherical grains;
- injecting the suspension into a channel in a microfluidic chip, the spherical grains forming microporous structures in the channel;
- sintering the microporous structures in the channel;
- and
- injecting a solvent into the channel, the solvent dissolving the sacrificial particles and forming macropores between at least some of the microporous structures, thereby forming a mixed-porosity microfluidic chip.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.