Abstract
We investigate the origin of the deviations from the classical Darcy law by numerical simulation of the Navier-Stokes equations in two-dimensional disordered porous media. We apply the Forchheimer equation as a phenomenological model to correlate the variations of the friction factor for different porosities and flow conditions. At sufficiently high Reynolds numbers, when inertia becomes relevant, we observe a transition from linear to nonlinear behavior which is typical of experiments. We find that such a transition can be understood and statistically characterized in terms of the spatial distribution of kinetic energy in the system.
- Received 16 October 1998
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.5249
©1999 American Physical Society