Review of Flow through Porous Media as Applied to Head Loss in Water Filters

This article reviews the development of our understanding of flow through porous media with a focus on understanding the clean-bed head loss in water filters. A model of the Forchheimer form is developed by typing existing empirical models to current hydrodynamic theory, and constants are developed for three filter media: glass beads, crushed silica sand, and crushed anthracite coal. Suggestions are made for future research that would improve our understanding.