The use of Path Tracking Method for determining the tortuosity field in a porous bed

The article is related to a computational method of obtaining the geometric tortuosity in granular beds, i.e. polydisperse beds consisting of spherical or quasi-spherical particles, freely distributed in the 3D space. The main aim is to show a new way of calculating two-dimensional tortuosity distribution in the plane perpendicular to the chosen direction in the space (interpreted as the main flow direction) by the use of own computational algorithm, the so-called Path Tracking Method (PTM). This way links the ability of the PTM to analyze relatively large granular beds due to low demand for computing power and the possibility of obtaining the tortuosity distribution in the space. Although this distribution is only 2D (there is only one value for every discrete point in the plane perpendicular to the main flow direction), it may be useful for estimation of the local pressure drops in fluid flows through granular bed. To reach the aim, the PTM has been improved and its application here is shown in a new context.