Pore-level CFD investigation of velocity and pressure dispositions in microcellular structures

Pore-level computational modelling and simulation have recently become the focus of considerable attention in the field of transport in porous media. This study presents pore-structure characterisation and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and simulation of fluid flow distribution across ‘real’ and ‘structure-adapted’ porous metallic structures derived from tomography datasets at the microscale level. The resulting CFD predicted pressure drop data as a function of superficial fluid velocity ranging between 0 and 6.0 m.s −1 were used to account for the viscous (permeability, k 0 ) and inertial (Form drag coefficient, C ) terms of the porous samples. CFD modelling confidence was established by validating with experimental measurements for foam samples available in the literature. Exprerimental values of k 0 were found to be consistent with values available in the literature, while observable deviations of experimental measurements of C from predicted values (in some cases) strongly support the reliability of the inertial terms in superficial fluid flow velocity, nature of fluid, and level of extended tortuous pathway in porous metallic structures. The adaptation of the ‘real’ structures through erosion and dilation of their skeletal phases enabled the creation of ‘semi-virtual’ structures; thereby providing an in-depth understanding of the manifestation of flowing fluid from Darcy to inertial and a graphical relationship linking pore-structure related parameters and fluid flow properties of the porous media was substantiated.