Abstract
A thermodynamic description is presented of the isothermal, isohaline steady vertical flow of water in a swelling porous medium. An expression for the rate of steady flow is derived which is a straightforward generalization of well‐known results in standard flow theory but which differs considerably from an equation derived previously by Philip to describe the same process. This difference, aside from changes in notation, is shown to be the artifact of an error in procedure. An application of the flow equation derived is made to a simple model of steady evaporation from a bare soil containing a shallow water table. A significant result of the calculation is that the standard flow theory, applicable only to nonswelling porous media, will always underestimate the rate of evaporation when it is applied to a swelling porous medium.
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