Fluid Flow Study in a 3D‐Printed Heterogeneous Porous Medium Filled with Carbonate Rock Particles

Abstract

AbstractA significant aspect of fluid flow in a porous medium is its properties' variation which affects velocity and pressure fields. This work evaluates fluid flow in a 3D‐printed porous medium structure filled with rocky particles. The experimental data were used to propose a pressure drop model and evaluate the accuracy of a pseudohomogeneous approximation. A porous medium with permeability of 8.95 × 10−10 m2 was used in both experiments and simulations. Parameters for the model were estimated and compared to the simulation results. The deviation between experimental and simulated pressure drop across the bed was within 6.00 % for laminar flow regimes, while for transition flow regimes more significant deviations were observed.