Gas transport in tight porous media: Gas kinetic approach

We describe the flow of gas in a porous medium in the kinetic regime, where the viscous flow structure is not formed in separate pores. Special attention is paid to the dense kinetic regime, where the interactions within the gas are as important as the interaction with the porous medium. The transport law for this regime is derived by means of the gas kinetic theory, in the framework of the model of “heavy gas in light one”. The computations of the gas kinetic theory are confirmed by the dimension analysis and a simplified derivation revealing the considerations behind the kinetic derivation. The role of the thermal gradient in the transport law is clarified.