Microscopic flow near the surface of two-dimensional porous media. Part 1. Axial flow

A model problem is analysed to study the microscopic flow near the surface of two-dimensional porous media. In the idealized problem we consider axial flow through infinite and semi-infinite lattices of cylindrical inclusions. The effect of lattice geometry and inclusion shape on the permeability and surface flow are examined. Calculations show that the definition of a slip coefficient for a porous medium is meaningful only for extremely dilute systems. Brinkman's equation gives reasonable predictions for the rate of decay of the mean velocity for certain simple geometries, but fails for to predict the correct behaviour for media anisotropic in the plane normal to the flow direction.