A generalized equation describing the flow of any time-independent purely viscous non-Newtonian fluid in packed beds and porous media is proposed. The equation, which is expressed in terms of the Kozeny constant k i and the bed tortuosity T, unifies the three well-known packed bed models due to Blake, Blake-Kozeny and Kozeny-Carman within a general framework which also brings out their differences. The accuracy of each of the three bed models is assessed by comparing the predictions with existing experimental results, and is found to depend on the rheological properties of the fluid. The Kozeny-Carman model appears to give the best overall description of the flow of pseudoplastic (shear-thinning) fluids in packed beds and porous media although the Blake-Kozeny model gives a better representation for the high shear-thinning fluids. consistency index defined for circular pipe flow L length of packed bed; subscript e denotes equivalent length n flow behaviour index in power-law model n* index defined by eq. (25) n' index defined for circular pipe flow P = P + Q 9 h, hydrostatic potential q = e (u), superficial average velocity qw = e ~7~, superficial effective velocity at the wall R h hydraulic radius