Non-Stokesian flow through ordered thin porous media imaged by tomographic-PIV

The 3D flow-fields in a staggered and cubic arrangement of mono-radii cylinders are investigated using tomographic-PIV. The cylinder Reynolds-number is in the range of $$\approx 10$$ ≈ 10 to $$\approx 800$$ ≈ 800 giving an almost complete overview of the transition region. Two pore-scale effects are discovered. The first, visible in the cubic packing, is a spatially alternating lateral velocity field, which has a significant impact on the pressure drop and transversal dispersion. The second effect, present in the staggered array, is an example of a disturbance propagation effect that takes place in the laminar steady region; this manifests as a peculiar and complex flow-pattern. In accordance with other studies, it is shown that Darcy’s law can, from an engineering point of view be valid far beyond the limit for Stokesian flow. Graphic abstract