Data-driven analysis and modeling of erosion networks*

Channel formation and branching is widely seen in physical systems where movement of fluid though a porous structure causes the erosion of the medium. We introduce a simple model to capture this feedback mechanism in a multiphase model of flow through a frangible porous medium with dynamic permeability. We explore the model through simulations and examine how the channel morphology changes with different parameters. In addition, given a channel network, we develop a data-driven approach to predict the flow characteristics that led to the network formation.