Unexpected scaling of interstitial velocities with permeability due to polymer retention in porous media

Flow and retention of polymer in porous media result in an unexpected reduction in medium permeability. Our experiment and simulation of polymer retention show that these changes are a direct consequence of pore blockage and diversion of flow through the medium. Despite the complex changes in flow after polymer retention, we introduce a simple scaling for the distribution of pore-level velocities based on the bulk permeability of the medium.