Analytical Approach for the Lucas–Washburn Equation

• Published in: Journal of colloid and interface science Vol. 250; no. 2; pp. 415 - 421
• Main Authors: Hamraoui, Ahmed, Nylander, Tommy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 15.06.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: capillary rise; Chemical Sciences; Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; dynamic contact angle; Exact sciences and technology; Fysikalisk kemi; General and physical chemistry; Kemi; Natural Sciences; Naturvetenskap; Physical Chemistry; Porous materials; wetting-line fraction; wetting-line fraction; dynamic contact angle; capillary rise; Wetting; Liquid solid adsorption; Porous medium; Friction coefficient; Theoretical study; Contact angle; Review; Capillar porosity; Modeling; Tribology
• ISSN: 0021-9797; 1095-7103; 1095-7103
• DOI: 10.1006/jcis.2002.8288

Porous media can be characterized by studying the kinetics of liquid rise within the pore spaces. Although porous media generally have a complex structure, they can be modeled as a single, vertical capillary or as an assembly of such capillaries. The main difficulties lie in separately estimating the effective mean radius of the capillaries and the contact angle between the liquid and the pore. In this paper we circumvent these obstacles by exploring another approach and suggest an analytical approach of the classical Lucas–Washburn equation (LWE). Specifically, we consider that the contact angle between the liquid meniscus and the inner surface of the capillary becomes a dynamic contact angle when the liquid front is in movement. It has previously been demonstrated that the resulting time dependence is due to frictional dissipation at the moving wetting front.