porenetwork

Porenetwork refers to the interconnected void spaces within a porous material and, in some contexts, to the computational representation of that geometry. The term encompasses both the physical network of pores and throats in a solid and the models used to study how fluids and solutes move through it.

Key properties used to describe a pore network include porosity (the fraction of volume that is pore space), pore size distribution, throat size distribution, connectivity, coordination number (average number of throats per pore), tortuosity, and permeability. These metrics influence how easily fluids can saturate, drain, or imbibe the material, and they affect transport, storage, and reaction processes.

Data and construction methods vary. Experimental techniques such as X-ray computed tomography, focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen or mercury porosimetry provide data to characterize pore structures. From imaging data, researchers can reconstruct a pore network and perform computational simulations of flow, transport, and phase change using network models, percolation theory, and Darcy-type flow equations.

Applications span multiple fields. In petroleum engineering, pore networks model reservoir rock behavior during oil recovery. In hydrogeology and environmental engineering, they help predict groundwater flow and contaminant transport. In energy storage and catalysis, pore networks inform the design of materials with optimized mass transport and reaction accessibility, such as electrode scaffolds and porous catalysts.

Limitations include the simplifications inherent in representing continuous media as discrete networks, scale bridging between micro- and macro-scale behavior, and the dependence on accurate network extraction. Ongoing work aims to improve realism, uncertainty quantification, and integration with continuum models.