A fractal streaming current model for charged microscale porous media

•Analytical model for streaming current in porous media was built based on fractal.•Fractal model predictions fitted the experiment data very well.•Factors influencing streaming current were discussed in detail.

An analytical expression for the streaming current in fractal porous media is developed based on the capillary model and the fractal theory for porous media. The proposed fractal model is expressed as a function of the space charge density at the solid–liquid interface, the fluid flow rate, the Debye–Huckel parameter, the minimum and maximum pore/capillary radii and fractal dimensions for porous media. The results are compared with available experimental data and good agreement is found between them. In addition, factors influencing the streaming current in porous media are also analyzed.