Archive | 2021
Tortuosity in two-dimensional and three-dimensional fractal porous media: A numerical analysis
Abstract
Abstract Tortuosity is an important parameter to characterize flow and transport in porous media. It is desired to sufficiently understand the definition of tortuosity and its calculation in different materials while the description for the travel length of the electrical/hydraulic flow in porous media is difficult in two-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces. In this chapter, we introduce the definition of tortuosity in fractal porous media, and describe its theoretical relation with length scale based on fractal geometry. The structure of a given Sierpinski carpet/sponge is used to illustrate the calculating process of tortuosity and the fractal dimension, and the numerical results show tortuosity is variable in different numerical methods. In those simulation examples of tortuosity, the logarithmic relation between tortuosity and fractal dimensions provides a framework for understanding the behavior of tortuosity in fractal porous media.