Inertial capture in flow through porous media

• Published in: The European physical journal. B, Condensed matter physics Vol. 64; no. 3-4; pp. 433 - 436
• Main Authors: Andrade, J. S., Araújo, A. D., Vasconcelos, T. F., Herrmann, H. J.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.08.2008; Springer; EDP sciences
• Subjects: Complex Systems; Condensed Matter Physics; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Domain effects, magnetization curves, and hysteresis; Exact sciences and technology; Fluid- and Aerodynamics; Magnetic properties and materials; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Solid State Physics; 47.56.+r Flows through porous media; 83.80.Hj Suspensions, dispersions, pastes, slurries, colloids; 47.55.Kf Particle-laden flows; 05.70.Jk Critical point phenomena; Geometrical shape; Disordered systems; Filtering; Particle motion; Digital simulation; Scaling laws; Porous medium; Inertia; Two dimensional model; Gravity; Particle trapping
• ISSN: 1434-6028; 1434-6036
• DOI: 10.1140/epjb/e2008-00079-y

We investigate through numerical calculation of non-Brownian particles transported by a fluid in a porous medium, the influence of geometry and inertial effects on the capture efficiency of the solid matrix. In the case of a periodic array of cylinders and under the action of gravity, our results reveal that δ ∼ St , where δ is the particle capture efficiency, and St is the Stokes number. In the absence of gravity, we observe a typical second order transition between non-trapping and trapping of particles that can be expressed as δ ∼ ( St − St c ) α , with an exponent α ≈ 0.5, where St c is the critical Stokes number. We also perform simulations for flow through a random porous structure and confirm that its capture behavior is consistent with the simple periodic model.