Study on Permeability Characteristics of Porous Transparent Gels Based on Synthetic Materials

Abstract

Advanced knowledge of the permeability characteristics of transparent gels play a key role in providing a rational basis for the study of porous polymer permeability and the research on the migration behavior of superpolymer solutions. Thus, a new type of transparent gel was prepared to simulate porous media, with aim to observe and analyze the permeability characteristics of transparent gel under the conditions of our experimental design by combining a transparent soil test and simple particle image velocimetry. The experimental results showed that the permeability of the transparent gel was similar to that through actual soil. The permeability coefficients of the transparent gel under different pressure gradients varied greatly early in the experimental cycle, while changing only slightly afterward, showing an overall trend of decreasing first and then stabilizing. With the increase of the mass ratio, the permeability coefficient of the sample decreased, the distribution of the low-velocity zone of the intercepted section became wider and tended to move upward. Differences in spatial position also caused different patterns of velocity and direction. The findings presented in this paper contribute to providing a new direction for the study of porous polymer permeability and the porous migration of superpolymer solutions.

Keywords

• transparent gel
• porous polymer
• permeability
• seepage observation