Vulnerability of hydraulic networks to channel clogging

This study focuses on the loss of permeability and connectivity of hydraulic networks induced by channel clogging. Five network attack scenarios are considered that consist of clogging an increasing number of channels, selected according to their pressure drop and flow rate. By simulating the flow in the network before and after each attack, we show that some strategies only marginally affect the permeability and lead to a loss of connectivity only after a large proportion of channels are clogged. By contrast, other strategies strongly decrease the permeability and lead to a loss of connectivity after a small proportion of channels are clogged. These findings, interpreted in terms of change in porosity and network tortuosity, should help the prediction of the effect of network attacks in biological systems, hydrogeology and microfluidics. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2016