Modelling of the transport in electrically charged porous media including ionic exchanges

In this study, a multiscale model of interstitial fluid transport within bone tissues is proposed. Based on an asymptotic homogenization procedure, it takes into account the possible ionic exchanges at the pore level. Since these chemical reactions directly change the physico-chemical properties of the tissues, the macroscopically observed flow is also modified as shown by the calculated effective diffusion coefficients. Such an approach is interesting to study the bone remodelling signals expression. Due to the presence of charged surfaces in the bone porous matrix, the electrochemical phenomena occurring in the vicinity of mechano-sensitive bone cells, the osteocytes, are key elements in the cellular expression.