Structure of drying fronts in three-dimensional porous media

Evaporation in a three-dimensional (3D) porous medium, a sand column saturated by water, was studied using synchrotron x-ray tomography. Three-dimensional images of the medium with a resolution of 7 μm were obtained during the evaporation. The entire column was scanned seven times, resulting in nearly 10(4) 2D cross sections and illustrating the spatial distribution of air, liquid, and solid phases at the pore scale. The results were analyzed in order to gain new insights and better understanding of the characteristics of the drying front that was formed when the liquid-filled pores were invaded by air, as well as the structure of the liquid phase as it was dried. The analysis indicates that the liquid phase has a self-similar fractal structure, with its fractal dimension D(f) in all the cross sections being a function of the water content or saturation. In addition, D(f) for the 3D liquid structure, as well as its density correlation function, were computed using the 3D images. A crossover length scale ξ was identified that separates the fractal regime from the compact geometry. For length scales r>ξ, the density correlation function approaches asymptotically the water content of the porous medium. The drying front is shown to be rough and multi-affine, rather than self-affine. Its properties were also computed using the 3D images. The roughness characteristics agree with those for imbibition in porous media, but not with those of fracture surfaces and crack lines.