Microfluidics for Measuring Solubility and Diffusion Coefficient of Solvent in Bitumen

摘要: In this thesis, a microfluidic approach is developed to determine both the solubility and diffusivity of propane in the Athabasca bitumen at a range of reservoir-relevant pressures and temperatures. The presented microfluidic approach offers advantages over the conventional methods including fast quantification, small volume requirement, and ease of operation at high temperatures and pressures. The fabricated glass-silicon microfluidic chip contains a Pressure–Volume–Temperature (PVT) microchannel with full temperature and pressure control, connected to both solvent and bitumen supply. The cross-sectional area of the bitumen supply channel was only 2.5% that of the cell, approximating a closed PVT system. One-dimensional oil swelling due to solvent diffusion was captured consecutively using fluorescence microscopy and the solvent solubility and diffusion coefficient were then determined through image …