Theoretical-experimental analyses of simple geometry saturated conductivities for a Newtonian fluid

The conductivity (K) of porous media represents an important physical parameter in several areas of knowledge. In saturated flow, the saturated conductivity (K(0)) is the most important parameter of porous system and it is related to the fluid and porous media properties. In order to evaluate the potential of a new tool for measuring K(0), such as the computational simulation with Boltzmann models for fluid flows, two experiments were carried out using two simplified media: 1) a cylindrical cavity and 2) a cavity having a parallelepiped shape. Both have simple geometries that allow analytical K(0) solutions in order to compare with the experimental and simulated results. Glycerin was used as infiltrate fluid due to its high viscosity that permits laminar flows and the use of Darcy's law to evaluate K(0). The results demonstrate a good agreement among techniques (experimental, computational, and analytical) of K(0) determination for cavities that present Reynolds number (Re) smaller than one.