Description

The Ergun equation is used to calculate pressure loss in porous media. This method takes into account the characteristics of the flow and particles to determine the resistance the fluid encounters as it moves through the medium.

The Ergun equation is expressed as follows:

Where:

• $\Delta P$ is the pressure drop
• $L$ is the length of the porous bed
• $\mu$ is the fluid viscosity
• $\epsilon$ is the porosity of the medium
• $d_p$ is the average particle diameter
• $q$ is the volumetric flow rate
• $A$ is the cross-sectional area
• $\rho$ is the fluid density

Input and Output Parameters

Parameter	Default Units	Description
Volumetric flow ($q$)	-	Flow rate through the medium
Specific mass ($\rho$)	kg/m³	Fluid density
Porosity ($\epsilon$)	-	Fraction of volume that is pore space
Diameter of the particles ($d_p$)	m	Average size of the particles
Viscosity ($\mu$)	Pa.s	Fluid's resistance to flow
Sphericity	-	Measure of the shape of the particles
Bed length ($L$)	m	Length of the porous medium

Output

Parameter	Default Units	Description
Pressure loss ($\Delta P$)	Pa	Pressure drop across the porous medium