Shape factor and hydraulic conductance in noncircular capillaries: I. One-phase creeping flow

T. W. Patzek*, D. B. Silin

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

196 Scopus citations

Abstract

We use the Mason-Morrow shape factor, i.e., a dimensionless hydraulic radius, and corner half-angles to capture the geometry of noncircular capillaries pertinent to a physically adequate pore network description of porous media. We give analytic expressions for random corner half-angles that satisfy a given shape factor calculated from the microscopic images of pore space. We demonstrate that use of the shape factor leads to particularly simple expressions for the hydraulic conductance in single-phase flow through noncircular capillaries. In particular, we obtain the hydraulic conductances of arbitrary triangular ducts semianalytically, using conformal mapping. The conductances of equilateral triangular, rectangular, and elliptic ducts are calculated analytically.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)295-304
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of colloid and interface science
Volume236
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 15 2001
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Conformal mapping
  • Hydraulic conductance
  • Noncircular capillary
  • One-phase flow
  • Pore network
  • Shape factor

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Biomaterials
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry

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