Flow-driven branching in a frangible porous medium

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2020-10-06
Authors
Derr, Nicholas J.
Fronk, David C.
Weber, Christoph A.
Mahadevan, Amala
Rycroft, Chris H.
Mahadevan, L.
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10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.158002
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Abstract
Channel formation and branching is widely seen in physical systems where movement of fluid through a porous structure causes the spatiotemporal evolution of the medium. We provide a simple theoretical framework that embodies this feedback mechanism in a multiphase model for flow through a frangible porous medium with a dynamic permeability. Numerical simulations of the model show the emergence of branched networks whose topology is determined by the geometry of external flow forcing. This allows us to delineate the conditions under which splitting and/or coalescing branched network formation is favored, with potential implications for both understanding and controlling branching in soft frangible media.
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© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Derr, N. J., Fronk, D. C., Weber, C. A., Mahadevan, A., Rycroft, C. H., & Mahadevan, L. Flow-driven branching in a frangible porous medium. Physical Review Letters, 125(15), (2020): 158002, doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.158002.
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Derr, N. J., Fronk, D. C., Weber, C. A., Mahadevan, A., Rycroft, C. H., & Mahadevan, L. (2020). Flow-driven branching in a frangible porous medium. Physical Review Letters, 125(15), 158002.
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