№85-13

Change in permeability of a composite material over time when the binder component dissolves

A. Shumov¹https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8856-4753

¹Dnipro University of Technology, Dnipro, Ukraine

Coll.res.pap.nat.min.univ. 2026, 85:167–174

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ABSTRACT

Purpose. To establish the patterns of permeability coefficient variation in a composite material over time due to the dissolution of its binder component by a filtration fluid and to develop a mathematical model for predicting this process.

The methods. A mathematical model of a composite material consisting of an inert filler and a soluble binder was developed. The model is based on a first-order solid-phase dissolution kinetic equation, a porosity evolution equation, and a modified Kozeny–Carman model relating permeability to porosity. Changes in the specific surface area of pore channels during binder leaching were taken into account. The system of differential equations was solved numerically using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method.

Findings. It was established that permeability evolution occurs in three stages: an initial period of slow growth, a stage of intensive formation of interconnected filtration channels, and a stabilization stage after the binder has almost completely dissolved. An increase in the initial binder content was shown to result in higher final permeability and a longer time before the onset of active channel formation. Analytical relationships were obtained for estimating the transition time to the stage of intensive permeability growth and for determining the limiting states of the system.

The originality. A mathematical model describing the coupled processes of binder dissolution and permeability evolution in a composite porous medium, accounting for changes in the specific surface area of pore channels, was proposed. Time-dependent patterns of porosity and permeability evolution were established. For a composite with an initial binder volume fraction of θ₀ = 0.25 and an initial porosity of φ₀ = 0.02, the permeability coefficient increases from 1.50 × 10⁻¹⁴ to 11.15 × 10⁻¹⁴ m²,i.e., by a factor of 7.4.

Practical implementation. The obtained results make it possible to predict changes in the filtration properties of composite materials and to substantiate the selection of binder content when designing filters for hydrogeological, oil, and gas wells.

Keywords: composite material, permeability, dissolution, binder component, porosity, well filter elements, kinetics.

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date of first submission of the article to the publication – 04/23/2026
date of acceptance of the article for publication after review – 05/25/2026
date of publication – 06/30/2026