Generalized Forchheimer Equation for Two-Phase Flow Based on Hybrid Mixture Theory

In this paper, we derive a Forchheimer-type equation for two-phase flow through an isotropic porous medium using hybrid mixture theory. Hybrid mixture theory consists of classical mixture theory applied to a multiphase system with volume averaged equations. It applies to media in which the characteristic length of each phase is ‘small’ relative to the extent of the mixture. The derivation of a Forchheimer equation for single phase flow has been obtained elsewhere. These results are extended to include multiphase swelling materials which have nonnegligible interfacial thermodynamic properties.