Numerical investigation on the flow characteristics and permeability of three-dimensional reticulated foam materials

In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) model was proposed for predicting the flow characteristics and permeability of three-dimensional reticulated foam materials, which were prepared by replication process. Parameters, such as permeability, inertia coefficient, and friction factor, were obtained in order to describe the fluid flow characteristics of porous media. The influence of foam structure on the fluid flow characteristics was elucidated. Three flow regimes in porous media, including Darcy's regime, Forchheimer's regime and Froude's regime, were visualized and discussed. The flow transition from linear (Darcy's regime) to nonlinear (Forchheimer's regime) behavior, which is typical of experiments, was founded in the simulation. The data presented revealed the fact that the numerical results are in agreement with the experimental ones published previously. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.