Slip-driven electroosmotic transport through porous media.

We investigate the slip-driven transport of a Newtonian fluid through porous media under electrical double layer effect. We employ a semianalytical framework to obtain the underlying electrohydrodynamics for different configurations of porous media. We bring out an alteration in flow dynamics, stemming from interplay among the geometrical feature of the models and the interfacial slip as modulated by the electrical forcing. Further, we show the consequent effects of the underlying flow dynamics on the volumetric transport rate through different models. Also, we show the inception of reverse flow in the region close to the wall, resulting from the induced pressure gradient due to the convection of co-ions in the opposite direction to flow and pinpoint its effect of the flow rate variation under the influence of interfacial slip. We believe that the inferences obtained from the present analysis may improve the design of bio-MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) and microfluidic devices, which are used for in-situ bioremediation.
(© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)