- The paper production is a problem with significant importance for the society
and it is a challenging topic for scientific investigations. This study is concerned
with the simulations of the pressing section of a paper machine. A two-dimensional
model is developed to account for the water flow within the pressing zone. Richards’
type equation is used to describe the flow in the unsaturated zone. The dynamic capillary
pressure–saturation relation proposed by Hassanizadeh and co-workers (Hassanizadeh
et al., 2002; Hassanizadeh, Gray, 1990, 1993a) is adopted for the paper
production process.
The mathematical model accounts for the co-existence of saturated and unsaturated
zones in a multilayer computational domain. The discretization is performed
by the MPFA-O method. The numerical experiments are carried out for parameters
which are typical for the production process. The static and dynamic capillary
pressure–saturation relations are tested to evaluate the influence of the dynamic
capillary effect.