Pore network modeling of drying-induced salt precipitation

Evaporation of brine leads to salt precipitation, which can clog pores and affect further evaporation and reactions. The transport of vapor and liquid, reactions and the intricate feedback of these with change in transport properties are influenced by microstructural heterogeneity at the pore (micron to cm) scale, however their impact is felt at scales of meters and above. Evaporation-induced salt precipitation is of interest to for cultural heritage, as well as mineralization in carbon geosequestration. We present a modeling platform based on a computationally-efficient pore-network approach, that aims to perform this upscaling. The model is trained and validated by laboratory mock-ups: glass bead samples soaked in brine and left to dry under controlled environmental conditions. We apply this to study the impact of the type of salt, initial salt concentration, and the dependence of the vapor pressure on salt concentration, on the amount, location and timing of salt precipitation.