Lattice Boltzmann Method for Evaluating Hydraulic Conductivity of Finite Array of Spheres

Abstract EN

The hydraulic conductivity (K) represents an important hydrophysical parameter in a porous media.

K direct measurements, usually demand a lot of work, are expensive and time consuming.

Factors such as the media spatial variability, sample size, measurement method, and changes in the sample throughout the experiment directly affect K evaluations.

One alternative to K measurement is computer simulation using the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), which can help to minimize problems such as changes in the sample structure during experimental measurements.

This work presents K experimental and theoretical results (simulated) for three regular finite arrangements of spheres.

Experimental measurements were carried out aiming at corroborating the LBM potential to predict K once the smallest relative deviation between experimental and simulated results was 1.4%.