Non-equilibrium dynamics of fluids in disordered media

Fluid flows in disordered media are present in natural and industrial processes such as soil irrigation and secondary oil recovery. These flows display complex spatial and temporal non-equilibrium dynamics arising from the heterogeneities of the medium. Average magnitudes are not sufficient to allow the complexity of their dynamics to be captured. Deeper insight can be gained from a scale-dependent statistical analysis of the fluctuations. Here we introduce the basic laws governing fluid flows in disordered media. Focusing on two-fluid displacements with a well-defined interface, we discuss several non-equilibrium dynamic features that include scale-invariance, avalanches, non-Gaussian fluctuations, and intermittency. [Contrib Sci 11(2): 189-198 (2015)]Keywords: fluid flows in disordered media · Darcy’s law · drainage and imbibition · scale invariance · fluctuations and intermittenc