Probabilistic averaging in kinetic theory for colloidal transport in porous media

This paper develops a modified version of the Boltzmann's equation for micro-scale particulate flow with capture and diffusion that describes the colloidal-suspension nano transport in porous media. An equivalent sink term is introduced into the kinetic equation instead of non-zero initial data, resulting in the solution of an operator equation in the Fourier space and an exact homogenization. The upper scale equation is obtained in closed form together with explicit formulae for the large-scale model coefficients in terms of the micro-scale parameters. The upscaling reveals the delay in particle transport if compared with the carrier water velocity, which is a collective effect of the particle capture and diffusion. The derived governing equation generalizes the current models for suspension-colloidal-nano transport in porous media. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper develops a modified version of the Boltzmann's equation for micro-scale particulate flow with capture and diffusion, revealing the delay in particle transport as a collective effect of particle capture and diffusion. The derived governing equation generalizes the current models for suspension-colloidal-nano transport in porous media.