Evaluation of the rate of flow through porous media using electrokinetic phenomena

There is a need for some means of direct measurement of the rate of flow through porous media to supplement the traditional indirect measurements, such as the use of tracers and the measurement of hydraulic gradient. An analytical relationship is developed that relates the rate of flow through porous media to the streaming current I and streaming potential E induced by the flow. Thus, a measurement of either E or I would give a value related to the rate of flow. Laboratory experiments were conducted to test the analytical relationship. The effects of the concentration of dissolved salt in the percolating solutions, the size of the particles forming the beds, and the temperature of the solution on the streaming current and the streaming potential are determined. The analytical relationships, together with the experimental work, form the basis of a method of measuring the rate of flow through porous media.