Liquid Permeability of Packed Particles: Why Perpetuate the Carmen—Kozeny Model?

Abstract

Liquid transport through the interstices of packed particles is commonly described using the Carmen–Kozeny mean hydraulic radius model, which calibrates the effective pore dimension from mean macroscopic parameters. However, the experimental aqueous permeability of sets of porous powder compacts varying widely in porosity and pore structure was shown to be much better described in terms of the linear mean pore size determined from mercury penetration porosimetry. Here it is shown that the latter model is supported by studies of the permeability of porous rock and percolation theory.