Tests of Capillary Flow Scaling

Abstract

Abstract Four types of experiments testing predicted scaling relations are reported. In the first two, different liquids are compared in the same medium. The first compares hysteresis loops—liquid content vs. tension. The second compares conductivities at a certain tension. The third and fourth experiments concern entire flow systems; they compare systems constructed from different (but “ similar ”) media; only one liquid being used. The third experiment measures flow into the top of a dry column. The fourth measures drainage from a saturated column under a combination of tension and gravity. The results of all four experiments are in excellent agreement with theory when the media are clean sands. The hysteresis experiment was also run for media having increasing colloidal fractions. In the latter cases, the results show definite departures from theory which increase with the amount of colloid.