A transport theory approach to percolation of liquids through porous media

Abstract

The percolation of a liquid through a porous material is investigated with the help of equations of the Onsager type. An expression is derived for the molecular attraction, starting from Sutherland's potential approximation to the van der Waals interaction. Then appropriate Onsager equations incorporating this molecular attraction are written from transport theory considerations, in terms of dimensionless variables. As an application, the system of self-similar equations so derived is applied to a simplified situation.