Investigation of Dispersion in Porous Media Using Fiber-Optic Technology

This paper presents the results of a laboratory investigation of the characteristics of solute transport utilizing fiber‐optic technology. In this work, we examine solute transport in a uniform homogeneous porous medium with a one‐dimensional flow system using a fiber‐optic fluorimeter system. In a series of experiments, fiber‐optic sensors are used in situ in a packed column to make observations of solute concentration at the microscopic level. The tracer that is employed is assumed to be ideal and the flow field is restricted to be fully saturated and laminar. Using data measured at the pore level, we study the spatial variability in the concentration field during miscible displacement and relate these observations to the macroscopic flow characteristics.