Flow paths in wetting unsaturated flow: experiments and simulations.
The flow paths and instabilities of gravity driven infiltration of a wetting fluid into a porous medium are studied. The model experiments and simulations independently represent techniques to study the unsaturated flow in porous media, and they produce a consistent picture of how the paths of fluid transport form and depend on the relative strength of the gravitational force. The experiments, which employ a transparent and quasi-two-dimensional model, reveal that the fluid pathways contain an internal link-blob structure and increase in width with decreasing gravity. The model, which couples the well established invasion percolation model for capillary governed flow with a model that describes the viscous film flow in partially filled pores, corroborates these experimental findings.
Flekkøy
Eirik G
EG
Department of Physics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, 0316 Oslo 3, Norway.
Schmittbuhl
Jean
J
Løvholt
Finn
F
Oxaal
Unni
U
Måløy
Knut Jørgen
KJ
Aagaard
Per
P