Flow and Transport in Porous Media and Fractured Rock: From Classical Methods to Modern Approaches

Theoretical and experimental approaches to flow, hydrodynamic dispersion, and miscible displacements in porous media and fractured rock are considered. Two different approaches are discussed and contrasted with each other. The first approach is based on the classical equations of flow and transport, called 'continuum models'. The second approach is based on modern methods of statistical physics of disordered media; that is, on 'discrete models', which have become increasingly popular over the past 15 years. The book is unique in its scope, since (1) there is currently no book that compares the two approaches, and covers all important aspects of porous media problems; and (2) includes discussion of fractured rocks, which so far has been treated as a separate subject.

Portions of the book would be suitable for an advanced undergraduate course. The book would be ideal for graduate courses on the subject, and can be used by chemical, petroleum, civil, environmental engineers, and geologists, as well as physicists, applied physicist and allied scientists that deal with various porous media problems.

Muhammad Sahimi Flow and Transport in Porous Media and Fractured Rock Disordered porous media are encountered in many different branches of science and technology, ranging from agricultural, ceramic, chemical, civil, environmental, and petroleum engineering, to food and soil sciences and powder technology. Over the past few decades porous media have been studied experimentally, theoretically, and by computer simulations, and a deep understanding of them has been gained. Flow and Transport in Porous Media and Fractured Rock discusses experimental, theoretical and computer simulation approaches to studying porous media and fractured rock. It provides an in-depth discussion of the classical theoretical approaches based on the continuum equations of flow and transport, and contrasts them with modern ideas and methods based on percolation and effective-medium theories. renormalization group methods. fractal concepts and large-scale computer simulations. It also provides detailed discussions of fractured rock and flow and transport therein, thus unifying them with the science of porous media.