Transport of particulate suspensions in porous media: Model formulation

Abstract

AbstractA mathematical model is formulated for the general class of problems that involve the transport of stable particulate suspensions in porous media. The porous medium is represented by a network of pore bodies (sites) and pore throats (bonds). Population balances for the species responsible for particle retention and permeability reduction are written in terms of the various mechanisms of particle capture and reentrainment. Rates of capture and release are evaluated using appropriate physical models. We specifically concentrate on mass transfer limited processes. The effective‐medium theory is suitably formulated to determine the fluid flow distribution in the network and to calculate the permeability. The network representation of the porous medium together with the population balances and the rates of deposition and release provide a consistent model that finds application in filtration and fines migration processes.