Characterizing Porous Media: Methods & Applications — Lesson 4

This lesson covers the concept of flow through porous media, focusing on the characterization of a porous medium. It explains how to measure porosity, internal surface area, and pore volume, which are crucial parameters when using porous media as catalysts or in oil and gas reservoirs. The lesson also discusses various characterization methods such as optical method, imbibition method, density method, gas expansion porosimetry, and mercury porosimetry. It provides a detailed explanation of how these methods work and how they can be used to determine the porosity, pore size, and internal surface area of a porous medium. For instance, the mercury porosimetry method is explained with the help of Boyle's law and the concept of capillary pressure.

Video Highlights

01:42 - Overview of various characterization methods
02:21 - Discussion on optical method and imbibition method
05:54 - Explanation of density method
07:08 - Introduction to gas expansion porosimetry
14:02 - Detailed explanation of mercury porosimetry
22:43 - Discussion on how to generate a pore size distribution

Key Takeaways

- Understanding the characterization of a porous medium is crucial in various applications such as using porous media as catalysts or in oil and gas reservoirs.
- Various methods such as optical method, imbibition method, density method, gas expansion porosimetry, and mercury porosimetry can be used to measure the porosity, pore size, and internal surface area of a porous medium.
- Each method has its own advantages and limitations, and the choice of method depends on the specific requirements of the application.
- Understanding the concept of capillary pressure and Boyle's law is crucial in understanding how mercury porosimetry works.