Microfluidics and Spectral Induced Polarization for Direct Observation and Petrophysical Modeling of Calcite Dissolution

Abstract

We investigate how micro-geoelectrical monitoring is promising for studying microscale coupled processes since it facilitates the upscaling of pore-scale observations and enhances the petrophysical interpretation of the geoelectrical measurements. Microscale geophysics using microfluidics emerges and combines direct visualization of pore scale dynamics and chemical reactivity with geoelectrical monitoring. Calcite dissolution is a usual geochemical reaction considered as an analog of water–mineral interactions involved in the critical zone. We develop a numerical workflow combining image processing and geochemical simulation as inputs for the petrophysical modeling applied to a published data set of microscale induced polarization monitoring of calcite dissolution under partially saturated conditions. The successful interpretation provides the cation exchange capacity and specific surface area evolution; essential parameters in field-scale surveys.