  We present an experimental micro-model of drying porous media, based on
microfluidic cells made of arrays of pillars on a regular grid, and complement
these experiments with a matching two-dimensional pore-network model of drying.
Disorder, or small-scale heterogeneity, was introduced into the cells by
randomly varying the radii of the pillars, around their average value. The
microfluidic chips were filled with a volatile oil and then dried horizontally,
such that gravitational effects were excluded. The experimental and simulated
drying rates and drying patterns were then compared in detail, for various
levels of disorder, in order to verify the predictive capabilities of our
model. The geometrical features were reproduced well, while reproducing drying
rates proved to be more challenging.
