Flow-Driven Branching in a Frangible Porous Medium.
Phys Rev Lett
; 125(15): 158002, 2020 Oct 09.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33095596
ABSTRACT
Channel formation and branching is widely seen in physical systems where movement of fluid through a porous structure causes the spatiotemporal evolution of the medium. We provide a simple theoretical framework that embodies this feedback mechanism in a multiphase model for flow through a frangible porous medium with a dynamic permeability. Numerical simulations of the model show the emergence of branched networks whose topology is determined by the geometry of external flow forcing. This allows us to delineate the conditions under which splitting and/or coalescing branched network formation is favored, with potential implications for both understanding and controlling branching in soft frangible media.
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MEDLINE
Language:
En
Year:
2020
Type:
Article