Fractal analysis of permeability near the wall in porous media

In this paper, a fractal model for permeability of porous media is proposed based on Tamayol and Bahrami's method and the fractal theory for porous media. The proposed model is expressed as a function of the mean particle diameter, the length along the macroscopic pressure drop in the medium, porosity, fractal dimensions for pore space and tortuous capillaries, and the ratio of the minimum pore size to the maximum pore size. The relationship between the permeability near the wall and the dimensionless distance from the wall under different conditions is discussed in detail. The predictions by the present fractal model are in good agreement with available experimental data. The present results indicate that the present model may have the potential in comprehensively understanding the mechanisms of flow near the wall in porous media.