Bridging the gap between the Darcy-Brinkman equations and the Nielsen model for tortuosity in polymer-filled systems

•We use porous media theories to compute the tortuosity in polymer-filled systems.•We formally link the Nielsen model for tortuosity with the Darcy-Brinkman equation.•We theoretically justify the predictive capacity of the Nielsen model. The present study establishes the link between the well-known...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical engineering science 2020-02, Vol.213, p.115394, Article 115394
Main Authors: Varsakelis, C., Papalexandris, M.V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Darcy-Brinkman equation
Polymer filled systems
Porous media
Tortuosity
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Summary:•We use porous media theories to compute the tortuosity in polymer-filled systems.•We formally link the Nielsen model for tortuosity with the Darcy-Brinkman equation.•We theoretically justify the predictive capacity of the Nielsen model. The present study establishes the link between the well-known Nielsen model for the calculation of tortuosity in polymer-filled systems and the Darcy-Brinkman equation for flows in porous media. Based on the fact that the polymer-filled system is a porous medium, with properties fixed by the volume fraction and the geometry of the fillers, we employ the Darcy-Brinkman equations to compute an expression for tortuosity. This expression is then directly linked to the interphasial drag coefficient. Finally, we prove that the Nielsen model constitutes a special case of our derived formula.
ISSN:0009-2509
1873-4405
DOI:10.1016/j.ces.2019.115394