Free-flow and porous media coupling
We investigate momentum transport and boundary-layer development at the interface between free-flow regions and porous materials using high-resolution microfluidic experiments. Our work combines Hele–Shaw micromodels, micro-PIV velocimetry, and analytical Darcy–Brinkman modeling to reveal how permeability, porosity, and interfacial geometry govern slip velocity, channeling, and transport across scales. These studies provide experimentally validated frameworks for coupled free-flow/porous-media systems relevant to microfluidics, energy systems, transpiration cooling, filtration, and transport in engineered porous structures. Recent results demonstrated permeability-dependent boundary-layer formation, experimentally validated viscosity-invariant slip length behavior, and exact analytical solutions for laminar flow near permeable interfaces.
