The study investigates creeping flow-induced alteration in the permeability of deformable particle systems. Low-Reynolds-number transversal flow through random arrays of aligned cylinders is considered by means of a combined methodology of directly solving the two-dimensional (2D) Stokes equations for the flow in the vicinity of two particles and minimising the dissipation rate in a system comprising thousands of particles. The results demonstrate that the more compact the system, the greater the possible relative change of permeability when a high flow rate is applied. The permeability of large random arrays always increases when increasing the flow rate, which is most apparent in compact systems with equal-sized particles. The permeability can sometimes decrease but only in structured or small systems.

We study stationary incompressible fluid flow in a thin periodic porous medium. The medium under consideration is a bounded perforated 3D-domain confined between two parallel plates. The distance between the plates is δ, and the perforation consists of ε-periodically distributed solid cylinders which connect the plates in perpendicular direction. Both parameters ε, δ are assumed to be small in comparison with the planar dimensions of the plates. By constructing asymptotic expansions, three cases are analysed: (1) ε δ, (2) δ/ε ∼ constant and (3) ε δ. For each case, a permeability tensor is obtained by solving local problems. In the intermediate case, the cell problems are 3D, whereas they are 2D in the other cases, which is a considerable simplification. The dimensional reduction can be used for a wide range of ε and δ with maintained accuracy. This is illustrated by some numerical examples.

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) has been used to investigate transitional and turbulent flow in a randomly packed bed of mono-sized transparent spheres at particle Reynolds number, 20 < Re p < 3220. The refractive index of the liquid is matched with the spheres to provide optical access to the flow within the bed without distortions. Integrated pressure drop data yield that Darcy law is valid at Re p ≈ 80. The PIV measurements show that the velocity fluctuations increase and that the time-averaged velocity distribution start to change at lower Re p . The probability for relatively low and high velocities decreases with Re p and recirculation zones that appear in inertia dominated flows are suppressed by the turbulent flow at higher Re p . Hence there is a maximum of recirculation at about Re p ≈ 400. Finally, statistical analysis of the spatial distribution of time-averaged velocities shows that the velocity distribution is clearly and weakly self-similar with respect to Re p for turbulent and laminar flow, respectively.

A review of the main mechanisms influencing turbulent modulation in the presence of spherical and non-spherical particles is presented. The review demonstrates the need for more numerical and experimental work with higher accuracy than obtained so far and the need to resolve the flow near the surface of particles with the aim to re-evaluate the quantitative effect of different parameters on turbulent modulation. The review reveals that non-spherical particles have more adverse effect on turbulence as compared to spherical ones, for the same ambient conditions.

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