Local Pore Size Correlations Determine Flow Distributions in Porous Media

Karen Alim, Shima Parsa, David A. Weitz, and Michael P. Brenner
Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 144501 – Published 3 October 2017
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Abstract

The relationship between the microstructure of a porous medium and the observed flow distribution is still a puzzle. We resolve it with an analytical model, where the local correlations between adjacent pores, which determine the distribution of flows propagated from one pore downstream, predict the flow distribution. Numerical simulations of a two-dimensional porous medium verify the model and clearly show the transition of flow distributions from δ-function-like via Gaussians to exponential with increasing disorder. Comparison to experimental data further verifies our numerical approach.

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  • Received 9 January 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.144501

© 2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Research Areas
  1. Physical Systems
Fluid DynamicsStatistical Physics & Thermodynamics

Authors & Affiliations

Karen Alim1,2,*, Shima Parsa1, David A. Weitz1,3, and Michael P. Brenner1

  • 1John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
  • 2Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
  • 3Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA

  • *karen.alim@ds.mpg.de

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Issue

Vol. 119, Iss. 14 — 6 October 2017

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