Statistical Approaches to Unsaturated Capillary Flows in Pores, Joints, Soils and Other Heterogeneous Media

This book focuses on physical models (in the sense of mathematical physics) and statistical approaches to air/water flow in systems of pores and capillary tubes, in smooth or rough planar joints (e.g. rock fractures), and in heterogeneous porous media (e.g. soils, rocks) based on properly up-scaled equations (e.g. Darcy-Richards or Darcy-Muskat with nonlinear anisotropy).
The methods and models are examined at various scales (pores and joints, then the macro-scale). They are illustrated and applied to specific cases involving, in particular, but not exclusively, moisture migration in mining hydrogeology for waste disposal studies (underground galleries), and other problems in unsaturated soil hydrology. Other possible applications also include capillary wetting processes in industry.