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Updated: May 6, 2026

The Diffusion of Passive Tracers in Laminar Shear Flow
Published on: May 1, 2018
Is chaotic advection inherent to porous media flow?
D R Lester1, G Metcalfe, M G Trefry
1CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics, P.O. Box 56, Highett, Victoria 3190, Australia.
Abstract:
We show that chaotic advection is inherent to flow through all types of porous media, from granular and packed media to fractured and open networks. The basic topological complexity inherent to all porous media gives rise to chaotic flow dynamics under steady flow conditions, where fluid deformation local to stagnation points imparts a 3D fluid mechanical analog of the baker's map. The ubiquitous nature of chaotic advection has significant implications for the description of transport, mixing, chemical reaction and biological activity in porous media.
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