Mathematical Models of Dusty Gas Flow through Porous Media

This work reports on the recent advances in the continuum approach to dusty gas flow modeling through isotropic porous structures. This approach has received considerable attention over the last half century due to the need to develop dusty gas flow models capable of describing natural and industrial transport phenomena, including subsurface transport of dissolved or suspended particulates, design of liquid-dust separators, and analysis and design of filtration systems. A number of models have recently been developed to describe gas particulate flow through porous media, and account for both the macroscopic flow behavior as well as the microscopic interactions that arise due to the porous microstructure. Detailed knowledge of porous microstructures leads to a better understanding of the interactions between the phases involved, and of the forces exerted by the porous matrix on the flowing phases. Mathematical idealization of porous microstructures has been implemented in the models, which describe various dusty gas flow situations and particle transport through porous structures. We discuss in this work models that assume either a uniform or variable distribution of particles in the flow field, and models that provide for modeling flexibility using phase partial pressures. Key-Words:Porous Media, Particle-Laden, Intrinsic Volume Averaging.