scholarly journals Axisymmetric viscous gravity currents flowing over a porous medium

2009 ◽  
Vol 622 ◽  
pp. 135-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
MELISSA J. SPANNUTH ◽  
JEROME A. NEUFELD ◽  
J. S. WETTLAUFER ◽  
M. GRAE WORSTER
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Gravity Currents ◽  
Constant Input ◽  
Radial Extent ◽  
Vertically Aligned ◽  
Analytical Expressions ◽  
Permeability Structure ◽  
Good Agreement

We study the axisymmetric propagation of a viscous gravity current over a deep porous medium into which it also drains. A model for the propagation and drainage of the current is developed and solved numerically in the case of constant input from a point source. In this case, a steady state is possible in which drainage balances the input, and we present analytical expressions for the resulting steady profile and radial extent. We demonstrate good agreement between our experiments, which use a bed of vertically aligned tubes as the porous medium, and the theoretically predicted evolution and steady state. However, analogous experiments using glass beads as the porous medium exhibit a variety of unexpected behaviours, including overshoot of the steady-state radius and subsequent retreat, thus highlighting the importance of the porous medium geometry and permeability structure in these systems.

Gravity currents over fractured substrates in a porous medium

2007 ◽  
Vol 584 ◽  
pp. 415-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID PRITCHARD
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Gravity Currents ◽  
Limited Extent ◽  
Form Part ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Self Similar ◽  
Steady State Solutions ◽  
A Current

We consider the behaviour of a gravity current in a porous medium when the horizontal surface along which it spreads is punctuated either by narrow fractures or by permeable regions of limited extent. We derive steady-state solutions for the current, and show that these form part of a long-time asymptotic description which may also include a self-similar ‘leakage current’ propagating beyond the fractured region with a length proportional to t1/2. We discuss the conditions under which a current can be completely trapped by a permeable region or a series of fractures.

The front speed of intrusions into a continuously stratified medium

2007 ◽  
Vol 594 ◽  
pp. 369-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIOGO BOLSTER ◽  
ALICE HANG ◽  
P. F. LINDEN
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Gravity Currents ◽  
Stratified Fluid ◽  
Stratified Medium ◽  
Fluid Density ◽  
Neutral Buoyancy ◽  
Front Speed ◽  
Predicted Values ◽  
Good Agreement

This paper examines intrusive Boussinesq gravity currents, propagating into a continuously stratified fluid. We develop a model, based on energy arguments, to predict the front speed of such an intrusive gravity current from a lock release. We find that the depth at which the intrusion occurs, which corresponds to the level of neutral buoyancy (i.e. the depth where the intrusion density equals the stratified fluid density), affects the front speed. The maximum speeds occur when the intrusion travels along the top and bottom boundaries and the minimum speed occurs at mid-depth. Experiments and numerical simulations were conducted to compare to the theoretically predicted values, and good agreement was found.

Two-phase gravity currents in porous media

2011 ◽  
Vol 678 ◽  
pp. 248-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
MADELEINE J. GOLDING ◽  
JEROME A. NEUFELD ◽  
MARC A. HESSE ◽  
HERBERT E. HUPPERT
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Porous Media ◽  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Capillary Forces ◽  
Gravity Currents ◽  
Flow In Porous Media ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Residual Trapping

We develop a model describing the buoyancy-driven propagation of two-phase gravity currents, motivated by problems in groundwater hydrology and geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). In these settings, fluid invades a porous medium saturated with an immiscible second fluid of different density and viscosity. The action of capillary forces in the porous medium results in spatial variations of the saturation of the two fluids. Here, we consider the propagation of fluid in a semi-infinite porous medium across a horizontal, impermeable boundary. In such systems, once the aspect ratio is large, fluid flow is mainly horizontal and the local saturation is determined by the vertical balance between capillary and gravitational forces. Gradients in the hydrostatic pressure along the current drive fluid flow in proportion to the saturation-dependent relative permeabilities, thus determining the shape and dynamics of two-phase currents. The resulting two-phase gravity current model is attractive because the formalism captures the essential macroscopic physics of multiphase flow in porous media. Residual trapping of CO2 by capillary forces is one of the key mechanisms that can permanently immobilize CO2 in the societally important example of geological CO2 sequestration. The magnitude of residual trapping is set by the areal extent and saturation distribution within the current, both of which are predicted by the two-phase gravity current model. Hence the magnitude of residual trapping during the post-injection buoyant rise of CO2 can be estimated quantitatively. We show that residual trapping increases in the presence of a capillary fringe, despite the decrease in average saturation.

Two-dimensional viscous gravity currents flowing over a deep porous medium

2001 ◽  
Vol 440 ◽  
pp. 359-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAMES M. ACTON ◽  
HERBERT E. HUPPERT ◽  
M. GRAE WORSTER
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Numerical Solutions ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Constant Volume ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Self Similar ◽  
Coefficient Of Viscosity ◽  
Good Agreement

The spreading of a two-dimensional, viscous gravity current propagating over and draining into a deep porous substrate is considered both theoretically and experimentally. We first determine analytically the rate of drainage of a one-dimensional layer of fluid into a porous bed and find that the theoretical predictions for the downward rate of migration of the fluid front are in excellent agreement with our laboratory experiments. The experiments suggest a rapid and simple technique for the determination of the permeability of a porous medium. We then combine the relationships for the drainage of liquid from the current through the underlying medium with a formalism for its forward motion driven by the pressure gradient arising from the slope of its free surface. For the situation in which the volume of fluid V fed to the current increases at a rate proportional to t3, where t is the time since its initiation, the shape of the current takes a self-similar form for all time and its length is proportional to t2. When the volume increases less rapidly, in particular for a constant volume, the front of the gravity current comes to rest in finite time as the effects of fluid drainage into the underlying porous medium become dominant. In this case, the runout length is independent of the coefficient of viscosity of the current, which sets the time scale of the motion. We present numerical solutions of the governing partial differential equations for the constant-volume case and find good agreement with our experimental data obtained from the flow of glycerine over a deep layer of spherical beads in air.

Gravity currents propagating into shear

2015 ◽  
Vol 778 ◽  
pp. 552-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Nasr-Azadani ◽  
E. Meiburg
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Steady State ◽  
High Reynolds Number ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Gravity Currents ◽  
Maximum Energy ◽  
Channel Height ◽  
High Reynolds ◽  
The Given

An analytical vorticity-based model is introduced for steady-state inviscid Boussinesq gravity currents in sheared ambients. The model enforces the conservation of mass and horizontal and vertical momentum, and it does not require any empirical closure assumptions. As a function of the given gravity current height, upstream ambient shear and upstream ambient layer thicknesses, the model predicts the current velocity as well as the downstream ambient layer thicknesses and velocities. In particular, it predicts the existence of gravity currents with a thickness greater than half the channel height, which is confirmed by direct numerical simulation (DNS) results and by an analysis of the energy loss in the flow. For high-Reynolds-number gravity currents exhibiting Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities along the current/ambient interface, the DNS simulations suggest that for a given shear magnitude, the current height adjusts itself such as to allow for maximum energy dissipation.

Gravity currents in rotating channels. Part 1. Steady-state theory

2002 ◽  
Vol 457 ◽  
pp. 295-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. N. HACKER ◽  
P. F. LINDEN
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Perfect Fluid ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Propagation Speed ◽  
Gravity Currents ◽  
Force Balance ◽  
Fluid Approximation ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Layer Solution

A theory is developed for the speed and structure of steady-state non-dissipative gravity currents in rotating channels. The theory is an extension of that of Benjamin (1968) for non-rotating gravity currents, and in a similar way makes use of the steady-state and perfect-fluid (incompressible, inviscid and immiscible) approximations, and supposes the existence of a hydrostatic ‘control point’ in the current some distance away from the nose. The model allows for fully non-hydrostatic and ageostrophic motion in a control volume V ahead of the control point, with the solution being determined by the requirements, consistent with the perfect-fluid approximation, of energy and momentum conservation in V, as expressed by Bernoulli's theorem and a generalized flow-force balance. The governing parameter in the problem, which expresses the strength of the background rotation, is the ratio W = B/R, where B is the channel width and R = (g′H)1/2/f is the internal Rossby radius of deformation based on the total depth of the ambient fluid H. Analytic solutions are determined for the particular case of zero front-relative flow within the gravity current. For each value of W there is a unique non-dissipative two-layer solution, and a non-dissipative one-layer solution which is specified by the value of the wall-depth h0. In the two-layer case, the non-dimensional propagation speed c = cf(g′H)−1/2 increases smoothly from the non-rotating value of 0.5 as W increases, asymptoting to unity for W → ∞. The gravity current separates from the left-hand wall of the channel at W = 0.67 and thereafter has decreasing width. The depth of the current at the right-hand wall, h0, increases, reaching the full depth at W = 1.90, after which point the interface outcrops on both the upper and lower boundaries, with the distance over which the interface slopes being 0.881R. In the one-layer case, the wall-depth based propagation speed Froude number c0 = cf(g′h0)−1/2 = 21/2, as in the non-rotating one-layer case. The current separates from the left-hand wall of the channel at W0 ≡ B/R0 = 2−1/2, and thereafter has width 2−1/2R0, where R0 = (g′h0)1/2/f is the wall-depth based deformation radius.

On gravity currents propagating at the base of a stratified ambient

2002 ◽  
Vol 458 ◽  
pp. 283-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARIUS UNGARISH ◽  
HERBERT E. HUPPERT
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Gravity Currents ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Theoretical Interpretation ◽  
Ambient Fluid ◽  
Navier Stokes Equations ◽  
Speed Of Propagation ◽  
Good Agreement

The behaviour of an inviscid gravity current which is released from behind a lock and then propagates over a horizontal boundary at the base of a stratified ambient fluid is considered. An extension of the shallow-water formulation for a homogeneous ambient to the stratified case is developed, without using any additional adjustable parameters. Attention is focused on the initial ‘slumping’ stage of a rectangular current which is typified by a constant speed of propagation. The analytical results are in good agreement with, and give a firm theoretical interpretation of, the corresponding experiments and numerical simulations of Maxworthy et al. (2002). Finite-difference solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations, using a different technique from that used by Maxworthy et al. (2002), are also presented and provide both good agreement with their results and further validation of the present shallow-water approach. The differences between currents in a homogeneous and stratified ambient, and possible implementation of the results to other configurations, are discussed.

Dryout Heat Flux During Penetration of Water Into Solidifying Rock

2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (8) ◽  
pp. 847-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Epstein
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Porous Medium ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Change Theory ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Core Material ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Nuclear Reactor Core ◽  
Good Agreement

A model for the dryout heat flux during penetration of water into solidifying rock is developed by combining steady-state one-dimensional phase change theory with available semiempirical equations for (i) the dryout heat flux in a porous medium and (ii) the permeability of hot rock cooled by water. The model is in good agreement with measurements made during the pouring of water onto molten magma. The implication of the model with respect to stabilizing molten-nuclear-reactor-core material by flooding from above is discussed.

scholarly journals Dynamics of viscous grounding lines

2010 ◽  
Vol 648 ◽  
pp. 363-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROSALYN A. V. ROBISON ◽  
HERBERT E. HUPPERT ◽  
M. GRAE WORSTER
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Gravity Currents ◽  
Solid Base ◽  
Leading Order ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Good Agreement

We have used viscous fluids in simple laboratory experiments to explore the dynamics of grounding lines between marine ice sheets and the freely floating ice shelves into which they develop. We model the ice sheets as shear-dominated gravity currents, and the ice shelves as extensional gravity currents having zero shear to leading order. We consider the flow of viscous fluid down an inclined plane into a dense inviscid ‘ocean’. A fixed flux of fluid is supplied at the top of the plane, which is at ‘sea level’. The fluid forms a gravity current flowing down and attached to the plane for some distance before detaching to form a freely floating extensional current. We have derived a mathematical model of the flow that incorporates a new dynamic boundary condition for the position of the grounding line, where the gravity current loses contact with the solid base. The grounding line initially advances and eventually reaches a steady position. Good agreement between our theoretical predictions and experimental measurements and observations gives confidence in the fundamental assumptions of our model.

A dipole solution for power-law gravity currents in porous formations

2015 ◽  
Vol 778 ◽  
pp. 534-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Longo ◽  
V. Di Federico ◽  
L. Chiapponi
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Dipole Moment ◽  
Time Evolution ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Saturated Porous Medium ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Gravity Currents ◽  
Variable Properties ◽  
Power Law Fluid ◽  
Medium Permeability

A theoretical and experimental analysis of non-Newtonian gravity currents in porous media with variable properties is presented. A mound of a power-law fluid of flow behaviour index $n$ is released into a semi-infinite saturated porous medium above a horizontal bed, and can drain freely out of the formation at the origin. The porous medium permeability varies along the vertical as $z^{({\it\omega}-1)}$, porosity varies along the vertical as $z^{({\it\gamma}-1)}$, $z$ being the vertical coordinate and ${\it\omega}$ and ${\it\gamma}$ constant numerical coefficients. A self-similar solution describing the space–time evolution of the resulting gravity current is derived for shear-thinning fluids with $n<1$, generalizing earlier results for Newtonian fluids. The solution conserves a generalized dipole moment of the mound. The spreading of the current front is proportional to $t^{{\it\gamma}n/(2+{\it\omega}(n+1))}$. Expressions for the time evolution of the outgoing flux at the origin and of the current volume are derived in closed form. The Hele-Shaw analogue is derived for flow of a power-law fluid in a porous medium with vertically variable properties. Results from laboratory experiments conducted in two Hele-Shaw cells confirm the constancy of the dipole moment, and compare well with the theoretical formulation.

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