Fractal porous media I: Longitudinal stokes flow in random carpets

Two-dimensional porous media whose random cross-sections are derived from site percolation are constructed. The longitudinal flow of a Newtonian fluid in the Stokes approximation is then computed and the longitudinal permeability is obtained. Two methods are used and yield the same result when porosity is low. The Carman equation is shown to apply within ±7% when porosity is within the range from 0 to 0.75. Finally, random structures derived from stick percolation are investigated; results are qualitatively the same, but the Carman equation yields a poorer approximation.     

Fractal porous media IV: Three-dimensional stokes flow through random media and regular fractals

The three-dimensional Stokes flow of a Newtonian fluid through random and/or fractal media is numerically determined. The permeability of these media is derived. Results relative to these structures are presented and discussed. The validity of the Carman equation and of a simple scaling argument is questioned.     

Fractal porous media II: Geometry of porous geological structures

Some geological structures are analysed and found to be fractal. An interesting feature is the very large range of scales involved; the spreading dimension is also measured for some of them. The consequences of these measurements on the analysis of transport processes in porous media are presented - the existence of fractal structures multiplies the variety of actual porous media.     

A resistance model for flow through porous media

A new model for resistance of flow through granular porous media is developed based on the average hydraulic radius model and the contracting–expanding channel model. This model is expressed as a function of tortuosity, porosity, ratio of pore diameter to throat diameter, diameter of particles, and fluid properties. The two empirical constants, 150 and 1.75, in the Ergun equation are replaced by two expressions, which are explicitly related to the pore geometry. Every parameter in the proposed model has clear physical meaning. The proposed model is shown to be more fundamental and reasonable than the Ergum equation. The model predictions are in good agreement with the existing experimental data.     

Viscosity enhancement in non-Newtonian flow of dilute aqueous polymer solutions through crystallographic and random porous media

We report results on the flow of dilute aqueous solutions of hydrolysed poly(acrylamide) (HPAA) through beds of spheres packed in simple cubic and body-centred cubic crystallographic arrays. Pressure drop measurements made across the arrays as a function of the flow rate have been used to estimate the specific viscosities of the HPAA solutions as a function of the superficial strain rate. It is found that greater non-Newtonian increases in the specific viscosity occur in the body-centred cubic array, which is thought to be due to the presence of trailing stagnation points, which are not present in the simple cubic array. Experiments have been performed using HPAA solutions in the presence of mono- and divalent cations at various concentrations and, for validity, have been compared with results obtained from a traditional randomly packed porous medium. In addition, a study of mechanical degradation of the polymer in flow through the crystallographic arrays has been carried out and reveals a greater rate of degradation in the body-centred array and also a significant increase in degradation with salt concentration.     

Upscaling the flow of generalised Newtonian fluids through anisotropic porous media

The homogenisation method with multiple scale expansions is used to investigate the slow and isothermal flow of generalised Newtonian fluids through anisotropic porous media. From this upscaling it is shown that the first-order macroscopic pressure gradient can be defined as the gradient of a macroscopic viscous dissipation potential, with respect to the first-order volume averaged fluid velocity. The macroscopic dissipation potential is the volume-averaged of local dissipation potential. Using this property, guidelines are proposed to build macroscopic tensorial permeation laws within the framework defined by the theory of anisotropic tensor functions and by using macroscopic isodissipation surfaces. A quantitative numerical study is then performed on a 3D fibrous medium and with a Carreau–Yasuda fluid in order to illustrate the theoretical results deduced from the upscaling.     

Fractal porous media

The transport properties of continuous deterministic fractals are reviewed. The method of construction, the fractal dimension, and the major features of transport are summarized. Then the major single-phase transports are addressed; attention is focused on the numerical results and on the analytical arguments which may be used to derive these results in a simple way, whenever it is possible.     

Fluid flow through heterogeneous porous media in a rotating square channel

An analytical three-dimensional solution to the fluid flow problem through heterogeneous porous media in a rotating square channel is presented. The permeability of the fluid saturated porous domain varies in the vertical direction, thus affecting the imposed main flow in the channel. As a result of Coriolis acceleration, secondary circulation in a plane perpendicular to the main flow direction is created. A particular example of a monotonic distribution of the permeability function is analyzed leading to a single vortex secondary circulation. Nevertheless, multiple vortex secondary flow solutions are possible depending on the particular variation of the permeability in the vertical direction. No secondary motion is expected for isothermal flows in homogeneous porous media.     

The impact of instability appearance on the quadratic law for flow through porous media

In the present paper, we attempt to explain the macroscopic flow law evolution in porous media according to the Reynolds number. A crenellated channel, considered as an element of such a medium, is used to perform numerical simulations in stationary and non-stationary cases. In the case of non-stationary laminar flows, we point out flow instabilities occurring in the channel at high Reynolds numbers and we focus on their influence on the macroscopic law. We qualitatively prove that they generate an additional quadratic contribution to Forchheimer’s law. We use two methods to study this contribution: first, a periodic disturbance, for which the instabilities appearing at the beginning of disturbance become regular oscillations; then a pulse disturbance of the entry velocity field which enables us to link the additional quadratic contribution to the existence of an accumulation of fluid at low velocity in the channel.     

The role of shear and elongation in the flow of solutions of semi-flexible polymers through porous media

The rheological behavior of hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose (HMHEC) and xanthan gum solutions has been characterized in simple shear flow, opposed-jets flow, and flow through porous media. Both polymers exhibit shear thinning in simple shear flow and apparent shear thinning in flow through porous media. Analysis of the results shows there is a direct correspondence between shear viscosities determined in simple shear experiments and apparent viscosities in porous media flow at relatively low shear rates. At high shear rates the extensional component of the flow in porous media appreciably increases the apparent viscosity over the simple shear values. This increase is shown to correlate with results obtained in opposed-jets experiments, and is attributed to formation of transient entanglements.     

Measuring transport coefficients necessary for the description of coupled two-phase flow of immiscible fluids in porous media

In the simplist cases of coupled two-phase flow of immiscible fluids in porous media, the governing equations usually are written to show that there are four independent transport coefficients that implicitly have to be separately measured. The analysis presented here accordingly indicates that two types of known experiments involving two measurements apiece are needed at each fluid saturation condition in order to provide the necessary and sufficient information by which the unsteady as well as the steady states of ensuing transport processes can be established and characterized. Apparently, however, the fact that methodologies are already available for the required laboratory work either is not widely appreciated or it is being overlooked. For this reason and others, mention is made of the surprising fact that the experimental difficulties to be confronted in the actual study of coupled transport processes are no greater than those that have already been dealt with by the advocates of classical relative permeability theory (i.e. the traditionalists who simplistically model two-phase flow as though no coupling effects are involved).     

Interfacial drag of two-phase flow in porous media

In this paper, the influence of the interfacial drag on the pressure loss of combined liquid and vapour flow through particulate porous media is investigated. Motivation for this is the coolability of fragmented corium which may be expected during a severe accident in a nuclear power plant. Cooling water is evaporated due to the particles decay heat. To reach coolability, the outflowing steam has to be replaced by inflowing water.     

Nonlinear flow in fractured porous media

Conventional models of filtration in fractured porous bodies involve certain unwarrantable assumptions related to the definition of basic equations and the underestimation of a connection between the effective properties of a body and both the stress system and the pressure of a flowing fluid. A new theory is developed with the help of reconsidering those underlying assumptions and of a conception of the body being subject to elastic deformations. The theory is illustrated by means of studying a particular problem of stationary filtration.     

Stokes flow through microstructural model of fibrous media

Viscous flow through a two-dimensional model of fibrous media is analyzed. The periodic model is based on array of cylindrical fibres on a triangular lattice. The numerical approach consists in satisfying boundary conditions by using a least squares method applied to the analytical solution of Stokes motion around a cylinder. Our interest is in the drag force exerted on the array, and hence the permeability of such arrays. Results are given over the full porosity range. Furthermore, the flow structure analysis is carried out as a function of porosity. For low porosity values, recirculation motion composed of Stokes eddies are obtained that play an important role in pollution phenomena.     

Fluid flow in fractured and fracturing porous media: A unified view

Fluid flow in fractures that pre-exist or propagate in a porous medium can have a major influence on the deformation and flow characteristics. With the aim of carrying out large-scale calculations at reasonable computing costs, a sub-grid scale model has been developed. While this model was originally embedded in extended finite element methods, thereby exploiting some special properties of the enrichment functions, we will herein show that, using proper micro–macro relations, in particular for the mass balance, sub-grid scale models can be coupled to a range of discretisation methods at the macroscopic scale, from standard interface elements to isogeometric finite element analysis.     

Mathematical modelling of flow through consolidated isotropic porous media

A new mathematical model is proposed for time-independent laminar flow through a rigid isotropic and consolidated porous medium of spatially varying porosity. The model is based upon volumetric averaging concepts. Explicit assumptions regarding the mean geometric properties of the porous microstructure lead to a relationship between tortuosity and porosity. Microscopic inertial effects are introduced through consideration of flow development within the pores. A momentum transport equation is derived in terms of the fluid properties, the porous medium porosity and a characteristic length of the microstructure. In the limiting cases of porosity unity and zero, the model yields the required Navier-Stokes equation for free flow and no flow in a solid, respectively.     

Effective equations for two-phase flow in porous media: the effect of trapping on the microscale

In this article, we consider a two-phase flow model in a heterogeneous porous column. The medium consists of many homogeneous layers that are perpendicular to the flow direction and have a periodic structure resulting in a one-dimensional flow. Trapping may occur at the interface between a coarse and a fine layer. Assuming that capillary effects caused by the surface tension are in balance with the viscous effects, we apply the homogenization approach to derive an effective (upscaled) model. Numerical experiments show a good agreement between the effective solution and the averaged solution taking into account the detailed microstructure.     

The transient two-dimensional flow through double porous media

This paper presents the analytical solutions in Laplace domain for two-dimensionalnonsteady flow of slightly compressible liquid in porous media with double porosity by usingthe methods of integral transforms and variables separation.The effects of the ratio ofstorativities ω,interporosity flow parameter λ,on the pressure behaviors for a verticallyfractured well with infinite conductivity are investigated by using the method of numericalinversion.The new log-log diagnosis graph of the pressures is given and analysed.     

Flow in porous media III: Deformable media

Stokes flow in a deformable medium is considered in terms of an isotropic, linearly elastic solid matrix. The analysis is restricted to steady forms of the momentum equations and small deformation of the solid phase. Darcy's law can be used to determine the motion of the fluid phase; however, the determination of the Darcy's law permeability tensor represents part of the closure problem in which the position of the fluid-solid interface must be determined.Roman Letters A interfacial area of the- interface contained within the macroscopic system, m² - A interfacial area of the- interface contained within the averaging volume, m² - A _e area of entrances and exits for the-phase contained within the macroscopic system, m² - A ^* interfacial area of the- interface contained within a unit cell, m² - A _e ^* area of entrances and exits for the-phase contained within a unit cell, m² - E Young's modulus for the-phase, N/m² - e i unit base vectors (i = 1, 2, 3) - g gravity vector, m²/s - H height of elastic, porous bed, m - k unit base vector (=e ₃) - characteristic length scale for the-phase, m - L characteristic length scale for volume-averaged quantities, m - n unit normal vector pointing from the-phase toward the-phase (n = -n ) - p pressure in the-phase, N/m² - P p – g·r, N/m² - r ₀ radius of the averaging volume, m - r position vector, m - t time, s - T total stress tensor in the-phase, N/m² - T ⁰ hydrostatic stress tensor for the-phase, N/m² - u displacement vector for the-phase, m - V averaging volume, m₃ - V volume of the-phase contained within the averaging volume, m³ - v velocity vector for the-phase, m/s Greek Letters V /V, volume fraction of the-phase - mass density of the-phase, kg/m³ - shear coefficient of viscosity for the-phase, Nt/m² - first Lamé coefficient for the-phase, N/m² - second Lamé coefficient for the-phase, N/m² - bulk coefficient of viscosity for the-phase, Nt/m² - T –T ⁰ , a deviatoric stress tensor for the-phase, N/m²