A statistical model for estimating porosity based on various parameters of flow through porous media

Abstract

Flow through porous media is a process with a momentous impact on the environment. Hydraulic conductivity, which depends on the particle size, shape, and porosity of the media, has applications in different fields of science, e.g., groundwater, seepage, and soil stability. Precise estimation of porosity leads to accurate computation of the hydraulic conductivity of porous media. The present study investigates the effect of particle size on the porosity of porous media, i.e., crushed quartzite, river gravel, marble chips, and sand. The influence of the wall effect on packing and porosity of porous media based on the diameter ratio, i.e., the ratio of permeameter-to-particle size (Dp/dg) has also been investigated. The hydraulic conductivity and the porosity of porous media are observed to increase with an increase in the particle size. The study postulates a dependable relation between hydraulic conductivity and porosity. The experimentally obtained and the model-generated porosity values for crushed quartzite, river gravel, marble chips, and sand range between 0.38–0.42 and 0.37–0.43, respectively. Experimental data have been used to derive a statistical model based on the diameter ratio (5.08 ≤ (Dp/dg) ≤ 254) for estimating the porosity of media. The validation of the statistical model using experimental data establishes the efficacy of the developed model.