Darcy's Law for Fluid Flow in Porous Media

Introduction to Darcy's Law Calculator

Darcy's law is an equation that describes the flow of a fluid through a porous medium. This law states that the flow rate Q depends on the intrinsic permeability of the material K (Hydraulic Conductivity), the hydraulic gradient i, and the cross-sectional area A perpendicular to the flow. The hydraulic gradient is defined by the change in hydraulic head over the length of flow. Darcy's law is used in fields such as hydrogeology, soil science, and petroleum engineering.

Parameter usage:

• hydraulicConductivity= the medium's ability to transmit water
• hydraulicGradient= the driving force behind the flow
• crossSectionalArea= the area through which the fluid is flowing

Example valid values:

• hydraulicConductivity= 1.5 m/day
• hydraulicGradient= 0.1
• crossSectionalArea= 20 m^2

Output:

• flowRate= discharge in cubic meters per day

Data validation

The hydraulic conductivity must be positive; it cannot be zero or negative. The cross-sectional area must also be greater than zero, and the hydraulic gradient cannot be zero to have a flow.

Summary

This calculator uses Darcy's Law to relate the hydraulic properties of a porous medium to the fluid flow rate through it. It is widely applied in the fields of groundwater and petroleum flow through porous substrates.