Exact solutions to radially symmetric two-phase flow for an arbitrary diffusivity

Over the past decade there have been a variety of exact solutions developed for one-dimensional two-phase flow, however when higher dimensions are considered there is a distinct scarcity of solutions. In this paper we consider the problem of radially symmetric two-phase flow, into an infinite medium of uniform initial saturation, subject to a constant flux V from a line source at the origin. We show that in the absence of gravity and when the two-phase diffusivity D is related to the fraction flow function f by βD = V df/dθ, where θ is the water content and β is a constant of proportionality, a new class of exact solutions can be found. In particular, when β = 2, we show that the solution is given by a simple quadrature for arbitrary D, and is fully integrable for specific functional forms of D. It has been shown by Weeks et al. [Weeks SW, Sander GC, Parlange J-Y. n-Dimensional first integral and similarity solutions for two-phase flow. ANZIAM J 2003;44:365–80] that when D obeys the above relation, a saturated zone does not grow around the line of injection, consequently we find for β = 1, the flow equation maps to one-dimensional single-phase flow under a saturated boundary condition. Consequently solutions developed for one-dimensional single-phase flow (exact or approximate) apply to radially symmetric two-phase flow. Solutions for β = 1 or 2 can be derived for either a wetting fluid displacing a non-wetting fluid, or a non-wetting fluid displacing a wetting fluid, however for arbitrary β numerical methods are required.