Solvability of problems with degeneration: Imbibition of fluid in a porous medium

Abstract

For a degenerate system of equations such as the equations of motion of immiscible fluids in porous media, we study the solvability of an initial–boundary value problem. Using the process of capillary imbibition of a wetting fluid as an example, we study a class of self-similar solutions with degeneration on the movable boundary and on the entry into the porous layer. The considered problem can be reduced to the analysis of properties of a nonlinear operator equation. For the classical solution of the original problem, we prove existence and uniqueness theorems.