Three-dimensional fluid micromodels

A system comprising:

• a three-dimensional (3D) fabricator;
• an image processing module configured to acquire an image of a section of a rock sample having a network of pores;
• a transformation module configured to transform the image into a binary matrix and determine a set of one or more statistical characteristics of the binary matrix, the set comprising one or more of a statistical mean and a statistical covariance;
• a layer generation module configured to:
• generate a first representation of a first simulated rock layer emulative of the rock sample and having a first pseudorandom distribution of porous regions and non-porous regions that is based on the set of one or more statistical characteristics of the binary matrix;
• and
• generate a second representation of a second simulated rock layer emulative of the rock sample and having a second pseudorandom distribution of porous regions and non-porous regions that is based on the set of one or more statistical characteristics of the binary matrix, the second representation being different from the first representation;
• and
• an arrangement module configured to arrange the first representation and the second representation such that the first simulated rock layer and the second simulated rock layer are arranged as adjacent layers of a three-dimensional model emulative of the rock sample, and provide the first representation and the second representation to the 3D fabricator for fabrication as a physical three-dimensional fluid micromodel emulative of the rock sample, the physical three-dimensional fluid micromodel comprising a first physical micromodel layer comprising a first network of pores based on the first representation, and a second physical micromodel layer comprising a second network of pores based on the second representation, adjacent the first physical micromodel layer.