Flow Laws in Metallic Foams: Experimental Determination of Inertial and Viscous Contributions

We present here experiments dealing with the hydrodynamic characterization of high-porosity metallic foam, performed on copper foam. The experimental setup and the procedure used to obtain the hydrodynamic data are described. Analysis of these measurements is conducted using the parameter estimation method. Brazing foam on the channel wall is found to have no effects on pressure drop. This study demonstrates that for this category of porous material, the inertial factor is evaluated accurately, whereas the permeability cannot be determined with reasonable uncertainties. A general trend for metallic foam hydraulic parameters is deduced using the present results and those given in the open literature. Macroscopic characteristics are not sufficient to establish the flow laws. Pore scale topology of the metallic foam should be taken into account in the flow law model.