On the Influence of Grain Size Compared with Other Internal Factors Affecting the Permeability of Granular Porous Media: Redefining the Permeability Units

Abstract

This study first reviews the influence of grain size on the permeability of porous granular media in comparison to other factors, especially the sorting of grain size distribution, in order to improve the physical knowledge of permeability. The aim of this research is to counter the widespread misconception that the characteristics of water flow in granular porous media can be associated exclusively with an area regarding grain size. This review involves two different aspects. First, the dependence of the intrinsic permeability on the particle size distribution is highlighted, independently of the other internal factors such as porosity and average grain size, by simply reviewing the main existing formulas. Second, the historical literature on the influence of the average grain size in porosity is analyzed, and it is compared with the influence of the granulometric sorting. The most recognized data show that the influence of each of these two factors is of the same order, but it was not expressed in mathematical form, so a relationship of porosity versus average grain size and sorting is established. The two aforementioned steps conclude that the factors influencing permeability do not advise the use of area dimensions because it leads to only link permeability with the average grain size, especially when nonspecialists come into contact with earth sciences. Finally, after a review of the historical evolution of the permeability units, they are redefined to avoid the common misconception that occurs when the established unit leads to only a partial understanding of the key parameters influencing permeability.