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Source-like solution for radial imbibition into a homogeneous semi-infinite porous medium

NCJ Number
255560
Journal
Langmuir Volume: 28 Issue: 9 Dated: 2012 Pages: 4208-4212
Author(s)
J. Xiao; H. A. Stone; D. Attinger
Date Published
2012
Length
5 pages
Annotation

This article describes the imbibition process from a point source into a homogeneous semi-infinite porous material.

Abstract

When body forces are negligible, the advance of the wetting front is driven by capillary pressure and resisted by viscous forces. With the assumption that the wetting front assumes a hemispherical shape, the analytical results show that the absorbed volume flow rate is approximately constant with respect to time, and that the radius of the wetting evolves in time as r ≈ t1/3. This cube-root law for the long-time dynamics is confirmed by experiments using a packed cell of glass microspheres with average diameter of 42 μm. This result complements the classical one-dimensional imbibition result where the imbibition length ≈ t1/2, and studies in axisymmetric porous cones with small opening angles where  ≈ t1/4 at long times. (publisher abstract modified)