DYNAMICS OF IMMISCIBLE RADIAL VISCOUS FINGERING - A NUMERICAL STUDY

In this paper we undertake a numerical investigation of the dynamics of the interface in the problem of immiscible radial viscous fingering in a Hele-Shaw cell when the areal flow rate is maintained constant. Comparison is made with experimental results to check if there is a need to introduce velocity-dependent boundary conditions and to incorporate the effect of thickness of the film left behind by the moving interface. Some new scaling results are suggested by the numerical data. These data, along with those available from laboratory experiments, provide support for a mean field theory for radial immiscible viscous fingering published recently [Phys. Rev. Lett. 65, 2680 (1990)].