Finite element modelling of flow through a porous medium between two parallel plates using the Brinkman equation

Despite the widespread use of the Darcy equation to model porous flow, it is well known that this equation is inconsistent with commonly prescribed no slip conditions at flow domain walls or interfaces between different sections. Therefore, in cases where the wall effects on the flow regime are expected to be significant, the Darcy equation which is only consistent with perfect slip at solid boundaries, cannot predict velocity and pressure profiles properly and alternative models such as the Brinkman equation need to be considered. This paper is devoted to the study of the flow of a Newtonian fluid in a porous medium between two impermeable parallel walls at different Darcy parameters (Da). The flow regime is considered to be isothermal and steady. Three different flow regimes can be considered using the Brinkman equation: free flow (Da > 1), porous flow (high permeability, 1 > Da > 10(-6)) and porous flow (low permeability Da < 10(-6)). In the present work the described bench mark problem is used to study the effects of solid walls for a range of low to high Darcy parameters. Both no-slip and slip conditions are considered and the results of these two cases are compared. The range of the applicability of the Brinkman equation and simulated results for different cases are shown.