WWRC 86-16
Mechanics of Multiphase Fluid Flows in Variably Saturated Porous Media
Abstract
This article proposes a set of flow equations governing the simultaneous movement of
aqueous and nonaqueous liquids in variably saturated soils. The basic principles and balance laws
of continuum mixture theory, along with thermodynamically admissible constitutive laws and
simplifying kinematic assumptions, yield a formulation for isochoric multiphase flows through a
nondeforming porous matrix. Cast in terms of familiar quantities, the governing equations are
similar in form to the classic Richards equation for each liquid phase. The development suggests
new rock-fluid properties that must be measured to characterize multiphase flows in the
unsaturated zone.
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