Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

Visualizing Hyporheic Flow Through Bedforms Using Dye Experiments and Simulation
Published on: November 18, 2015
Strong influence of geometrical heterogeneity on drainage in porous media
Marta Romano1, Max Chabert, Amandine Cuenca
1Univ Bordeaux, LOF, UMR 5258, F-33600 Pessac, France.
Abstract:
We present an experimental study of drainage in two-dimensional porous media exhibiting bimodal pore size distributions. The role of the pore size heterogeneity is investigated by measuring separately the desaturation curves of the two pore populations. The displaced wetting fluid remains trapped in small pores at low capillary numbers and is swept only above a critical capillary number proportional to the permeability of the big pores network. Based on this observation, we derive a simple criterion for phase trapping based on the balance of viscous to capillary forces. Numerical implementation of this theory in a pore network model quantitatively fits our experimental results. This combination of approaches demonstrates quantitatively the influence of geometrical heterogeneities on drainage in porous media.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Pore Size Distribution
Adequate...
Gradually Varying Flow
Uniform Depth Channel Flow
Energy Considerations in Open Channel Flow
Plane Potential Flows
Uniform Flow
Uniform flow...
Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates

