Liquid imbibition in capillaries and packed beds

Abstract A mathematical analysis of the rate of capillary penetration is presented. The resultant differential equation is solved numerically and compared with experimental data and results obtained from two other differential equations. For short contact times, such as those encountered in coating and printing operations, it is found that the approach described herein yields good agreement with experimental data. The analysis is extended to include treatment of liquid imbibition by packed beds. Comparison of results from theory and experiment yields good agreement.