Creeping flow through a model fibrous porous medium

Pressure losses and velocity distributions were measured for creeping flow through three model fibrous porous media. The three models consisted of square arrays of circular rods with solid volume fractions of 2.5, 5 and 10%. Measurements of flow resistances are in good agreement with theoretical predictions after wall effects are accounted for using Brinkman’s equation. Two-dimensional velocity vector maps were obtained in each array using particle image velocimetry. The velocity distributions are necessary for identifying non-Newtonian effects in flows with viscoelastic fluids.