Past exam of the fluids course of the University of Oxford / 2022 / 1 / b / Solution

Use a fixed representative volume $V$ containing many pores. Let $\phi$ be the porosity and let $\mathbf{q}$ be the Darcy velocity, defined per unit total area. The conservation of mass isThe solid matrix is rigid and fixed, and the liquid is fully saturating and has constant mass density, so the stored mass on the left is constant. Microscopic internal liquid-solid boundaries contribute no through-flux by the no-penetration boundary condition. Applying the divergence theorem to the external flux givesSince the representative volume is arbitrary, the macroscopic continuity equation isThere is no extra factor of $\phi$ in the flux: that factor is already incorporated in the definition of the Darcy velocity. A compressible liquid or deformable matrix would require retaining the storage term.