Spatial fluctuations of fluid velocities in flow through a three-dimensional porous medium

We use confocal microscopy to directly visualize the spatial fluctuations in fluid flow through a three-dimensional porous medium. We find that the velocity magnitudes and the velocity components both along and transverse to the imposed flow direction are exponentially distributed, even with residua...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2013-08, Vol.111 (6), p.064501-064501, Article 064501
Main Authors: Datta, Sujit S, Chiang, H, Ramakrishnan, T S, Weitz, David A
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We use confocal microscopy to directly visualize the spatial fluctuations in fluid flow through a three-dimensional porous medium. We find that the velocity magnitudes and the velocity components both along and transverse to the imposed flow direction are exponentially distributed, even with residual trapping of a second immiscible fluid. Moreover, we find pore-scale correlations in the flow that are determined by the geometry of the medium. Our results suggest that despite the considerable complexity of the pore space, fluid flow through it is not completely random.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.111.064501