Micro-models

A micromodel (microchip) describes a quasi-two-dimensional porous structure made of silicon dioxide that is embedded between two layers of borosilicate glass. The porous structure can either represent an artificial medium (Figure 1) or be a replica of a real porous rock (Figure 2).

The ITE works with both artificial and real micromodels. The artificial models consist of circles of varying diameters and different pore sizes and have an average permeability of 10 Darcy. The real models, on the other hand, are two-dimensional replicas of specific types of sandstone with permeabilities of up to 2 Darcy. Each micromodel structure has an inlet and outlet channel for gas and liquid flow.

Under a high-resolution camera or a microscope, the micromodels allow for the observation of various gas and fluid movements or biochemical reactions within the pores at different pressures (max. 10 bar) and temperatures (max. 120 °C).