The Effect of Polymer Gel on the Oil and Water Permeability Damage in a Microfluidic Device

Microfluidics, a rapidly advancing field, finds wide applications in various domains, including enhanced oil recovery. This study delineates the methodology for fabricating a microchip with channels having a width of 50 μm, designed to simulate and visualize fluid flow in porous media. The microfluidic device was constructed using NOA81, a UV-curable polymer. Upon curing, it forms a robust and transparent microchip structure suitable for precise fluid control and analysis in microfluidic applications. Flood experiments conducted on the microchip revealed that the introduction of a 0.5 wt% polymer gel into the model's channels resulted in a reduction of water permeability by a factor of 106 and 25 at the shock front and after injection pressure stabilized, respectively. In contrast, oil permeability was reduced by at least 40 times.