Non‐Darcian Airflow through Ceramic Foams

Abstract

This paper presents the first results on fluid flow through (laboratory‐made) ceramic foams. Pressure drop (ΔP) vs airflow rate ( U ) measurements show that Darcy's law does not hold and that the non‐Darcian airflow through the foams satisfies an equation of the form ΔP = aU + bU 2 . A permeability quotient is defined, which appears to be a qualitative measure for the average pore size of a foam. A Reynolds number defined in terms of this quotient can be used to estimate the Darcian flow range for a certain fluid.