Question:
At which ONE of the following scales is Darcy's law for fluid flow through a porous medium applicable?
At which ONE of the following scales is Darcy's law for fluid flow through a porous medium applicable?
Show Hint
Darcy's law is applicable for laminar flow at the macroscopic scale. It simplifies the complex behavior of fluid movement in porous media.
Updated On: Jan 9, 2026
- Nano-scale
- Molecular-scale
- Microscopic-scale
- Macroscopic-scale
Hide Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Darcy's law describes the flow of fluid through a porous medium and is valid when the flow is laminar and the fluid behaves as a continuous, homogeneous medium. This law is applicable primarily at the macroscopic scale, where fluid flow is treated as a bulk movement through a porous medium.
At smaller scales, such as the molecular or microscopic scales, the assumptions of Darcy's law break down because the flow is no longer laminar, and fluid interactions at these scales become more complex (e.g., molecular diffusion, turbulence, etc.). Thus, at the macroscopic scale, Darcy's law is effective as it simplifies the complexities of fluid movement into an averaged flow rate.
Therefore, the correct answer is (D) Macroscopic-scale.
At smaller scales, such as the molecular or microscopic scales, the assumptions of Darcy's law break down because the flow is no longer laminar, and fluid interactions at these scales become more complex (e.g., molecular diffusion, turbulence, etc.). Thus, at the macroscopic scale, Darcy's law is effective as it simplifies the complexities of fluid movement into an averaged flow rate.
Therefore, the correct answer is (D) Macroscopic-scale.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Top Questions on Fluids
- A cubical block of density \( \rho_b = 600\,\text{kg/m}^3 \) floats in a liquid of density \( \rho_l = 900\,\text{kg/m}^3 \). If the height of block is \(H = 8.0\,\text{cm}\), then height of the submerged part is ________ cm.
- If a water pump delivers 10 liters of water in one second against the head of 38 meters, the water horse power required will be:
- One-atmosphere pressure is equivalent to:
- The water pressure developed by 25 meters of water head is about:
- A 400 g solid cube having an edge of length \(10\) cm floats in water. How much volume of the cube is outside the water? (Given: density of water = \(1000 { kg/m}^3\))
View More Questions
Questions Asked in GATE PE exam
- Classification of kerogen is based on the relative amount of Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O). Which ONE of the following options is CORRECT about Type II kerogen?
- GATE PE - 2026
- Geochemistry
- Which of the following option(s) is/are CORRECT for well testing analysis of a reservoir?
- GATE PE - 2026
- Reservoir capacity
- In a capillary rise experiment with a capillary tube of length $l_1$, water rises to a height $h$ such that $h<l_1$. If the capillary tube is cut to a length $l_2$ such that $l_2<h$, and the experiment is repeated, which of the following statements is/are CORRECT?
- GATE PE - 2026
- Petroleum Exploration and Drilling Engineering
- The porosity of a formation with matrix density of 2.65 g/cc and fluid density of 1.0 g/cc is 0.15. The formation has shear modulus of 30 GPa and bulk modulus of 36 GPa. The compressional wave velocity in the formation is _________ $\times 10^3$ m/s (rounded off to two decimal places).
- GATE PE - 2026
- Rock Physics
- A vertical well is drilled up to a depth of 4000 ft. Further drilling starts with 10 ppg of fresh mud and 50000 lbf weight on bit (WOB). An equivalent circulation density (ECD) of 10.75 ppg was recorded. The total circulation pressure loss is estimated to be 110 psi. The steel density is 65.5 ppg. The decrease in hook load is _________ lbf (rounded off to one decimal place). (Note: 1 ppg mud is equivalent to 0.052 psi/ft.)
- GATE PE - 2026
- Petroleum Exploration and Drilling Engineering
View More Questions