Two-Phase Flow in a Two-Dimensional Bidisperse Anisotropic Pore Network Model

Abstract

A two-dimensional network model for a heterogeneous material in which ‘micro’-porous particles are compacted so as to leave a mesoporous interparticle space has been constructed. In this paper the model is used to study the transport of an adsorbable gas. The two-phase flow consists of a Knudsen gas-phase component and a surface-phase component with adsorption in the Henry's law region. The results are expressed in terms of the structure factors which relate the behaviour of the model to that of a single cylindrical capillary having the same internal area and porosity. The response to pure gas-phase flux is dominated by the mesoporous network, but when flux exchange between gas and surface phases can occur, the ‘micro’-pore distribution can become important for certain bidisperse distributions.