Internal Ocean Dynamics Control the Long-Term Evolution of Weddell Sea Polynya Activity

Open-ocean polynyas effectively couple the ocean and atmosphere through large ice-free areas within the sea-ice cover, release vast quantities of oceanic heat, and impact deep ocean ventilation. Changes in polynya activity, particularly in the Weddell Sea, may be key to longer time-scale climate fluctuations, feedbacks and abrupt change. While changes in the occurrence of Weddell Sea polynyas are generally attributed to changes in the atmospheric surface forcing, the role of internal ocean dynamics for polynya variability is not well-resolved. In this study we employ a global coupled ocean-sea ice model with a repeating annual atmospheric cycle to explore changes in Weddell Sea water mass properties, stratification and ocean circulation driven by open-ocean polynyas. During the 1300-year long simulation, two large polynyas occur in the central Weddell Sea. Our results suggest that Weddell polynyas may be triggered without inter-annual changes in the atmospheric forcing. This highlights the role of ocean processes in preconditioning and triggering open-ocean polynyas on multi-centennial time-scales. The simulated polynyas form due to internal ocean-sea ice dynamics associated with a slow build-up and subsequent release of subsurface heat. A strong stratification and weak vertical mixing is necessary for building the subsurface heat reservoir. Once the water column turns unstable, enhanced vertical mixing of warm and saline waters into the surface layer causes efficient sea ice melt and the polynya appears. Subsequent, vigorous deep convection is maintained through upwelling of warm deep water leading to enhanced bottom water formation. We find a cessation of simulated deep convection and polynya activity due to long-term cooling and freshening of the subsurface heat reservoir. As subsurface waters in the Southern Ocean are now becoming warmer and saltier, we speculate that larger and more persistent Weddell polynyas could become more frequent in the future.

Optimizing Power and Thermal Efficiency of an Irreversible Variable-Temperature Heat Reservoir Lenoir Cycle

Applying finite-time thermodynamics theory, an irreversible steady flow Lenoir cycle model with variable-temperature heat reservoirs is established, the expressions of power (P) and efficiency (η) are derived. By numerical calculations, the characteristic relationships among P and η and the heat conductance distribution (uL) of the heat exchangers, as well as the thermal capacity rate matching (Cwf1/CH) between working fluid and heat source are studied. The results show that when the heat conductances of the hot- and cold-side heat exchangers (UH, UL) are constants, P-η is a certain “point”, with the increase of heat reservoir inlet temperature ratio (τ), UH, UL, and the irreversible expansion efficiency (ηe), P and η increase. When uL can be optimized, P and η versus uL characteristics are parabolic-like ones, there are optimal values of heat conductance distributions (uLP(opt), uLη(opt)) to make the cycle reach the maximum power and efficiency points (Pmax, ηmax). As Cwf1/CH increases, Pmax-Cwf1/CH shows a parabolic-like curve, that is, there is an optimal value of Cwf1/CH ((Cwf1/CH)opt) to make the cycle reach double-maximum power point ((Pmax)max); as CL/CH, UT, and ηe increase, (Pmax)max and (Cwf1/CH)opt increase; with the increase in τ, (Pmax)max increases, and (Cwf1/CH)opt is unchanged.

Influence of low temperature tail water reinjection on seepage and heat transfer of carbonate reservoirs

Seepage and heat transfer in the carbonate reservoir under low-temperature tail water reinjection is a complex coupling process, which is an important basis for scientific and reasonable evaluation of geothermal resource sustainability. This study based on the tracer test of double-well reinjection for carbonate heat reservoir, a coupling model of seepage field and temperature field of fracture network is established by using the finite element software COMSOL. The uncertainty analysis is carried out to study the fluid-thermal coupling process of carbonate fracture under the condition of low-temperature tail water reinjection.The variation law of seepage field and temperature field of thermal reservoir under low-temperature geothermal tail water reinjection is revealed, The variation of measured temperature of thermal reservoir pumping side under different reinjection conditions is predicted. The results show that the dominant fracture channels between wells of the fractured heat reservoir in Xian county geothermal field play an important role in controlling the seepage heat transfer. Under the coupling action of the seepage field, pressure field and the temperature field of the heat reservoir, the low-temperature tail water reinjection forms a preferential flow along the dominant channels, which is one of the important factors to consider in the prediction of thermal breakthrough. Reinjection pressure, temperature and well spacing are the main factors for artificial control of geothermal production and reinjection system. In the pumping and reinjection system of Xian county geothermal field, under the conditions of 0.5 MPa reinjection pressure, 30 °C reinjection tail water temperature and 270 m spacing between pumping and reinjection wells, the heat reservoir temperature at the pumping side decreased by 1.5 °C in 100 years.

On the Generation of Weddell Sea Polynyas in a High-Resolution Earth System Model

Larger Weddell Sea polynyas (WSPs), differentiated in this study from the smaller Maud Rise Polynyas (MRPs), forming to the east of the prime meridian in the proximity of the Maud Rise seamount, have last been observed in the 1970s. We investigate WSPs that grow realistically out of MRPs in a high-resolution (HR) preindustrial simulation with the Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 0.1. The formation of MRPs requires HR to simulate the detailed flow around Maud Rise, while the realistic formation of WSPs requires a model to produce MRPs. Furthermore, WSPs tend to follow periods of a prolonged build-up of a heat reservoir at depth and weakly negative wind-stress curl in association with the core of the southern hemisphere westerlies at an anomalously northern position. While this scenario also leads to drier conditions over the central Weddell Sea, which some literature claims to be a necessary condition for the formation of WSPs, our model results indicate that open-ocean polynyas do not occur during periods of weakly negative wind-stress curl despite drier atmospheric conditions. Our study supports the hypothesis noted in earlier studies that a shift from a weakly negative to a strongly negative wind-stress curl over the Weddell Sea is a prerequisite for WSPs to form, together with a large heat reservoir at depth. However, the ultimate trigger is a pronounced MRP; whose associated convection creates high surface salinity anomalies that propagate westward with the flow of the Weddell Gyre. If large enough, these anomalies trigger the formation of a WSP and a pulse of newly formed Antarctic Bottom Water.

Modeling of irreversible two-stage combined thermal Brownian refrigerators and their optimal performance

This paper establishes a model of an irreversible two-stage combined thermal Brownian refrigerator with an intermediate heat reservoir by combining finite time thermodynamics with non-equilibrium thermodynamics. The model is composed of two irreversible thermal Brownian refrigerators working in series. The combined thermal Brownian refrigerator works among three constant temperature heat reservoirs. There exist finite rate heat transfer processes among heat reservoirs and refrigerators. Considering heat leakage, heat transfer losses, and heat flows via kinetic energy change of particles, expressions of cooling load and the coefficient of performance (COP) are derived. The effects of design parameters on system performance are studied. The optimal performance of the irreversible combined thermal Brownian refrigerator is studied. The cooling load and COP are higher when the temperature of the intermediate heat reservoir is close to that of the bottom heat reservoir. Compared with the single-stage thermal Brownian refrigerator, which works between the heat source and sink with the same temperatures, the cooling load of the combined thermal Brownian refrigerator is greater, whereas the COP is smaller.

Model of heat diffusion in the outer crust of bursting neutron stars

ABSTRACT We study heat diffusion after an energy release in a deep spherical layer of the outer neutron star crust (107 ≲ ρ ≲ 4 × 1011 g cm−3). We demonstrate that this layer possesses specific heat-accumulating properties, absorbing heat and directing it mostly inside the star. It can absorb up to ∼1043–1044 erg due to its high heat capacity, until its temperature exceeds T ∼ 3 × 109 K and triggers a rapid neutrino cooling. A warm layer (T ∼ 108–3 × 109 K) can serve as a good heat reservoir, which is thermally decoupled from the inner crust and the stellar core for a few months. We present a toy model to explore the heat diffusion within the heat-accumulating layer, and we test this model using numerical simulations. We formulate some generic features of the heat propagation that can be useful, for instance, for the interpretation of superbursts in accreting neutron stars. We present a self-similar analysis of late afterglow after such superbursts, which can be helpful to estimate properties of bursting stars.

Sustaining a temperature difference

We derive an expression for the minimal rate of entropy that sustains two reservoirs at different temperatures T_0T0 and T_\ellTℓ. The law displays an intuitive \ell^{-1}ℓ−1 dependency on the relative distance and a characterisic \log^2 (T_\ell/T_0)log2(Tℓ/T0) dependency on the boundary temperatures. First we give a back-of-envelope argument based on the Fourier Law (FL) of conduction, showing that the least-dissipation profile is exponential. Then we revisit a model of a chain of oscillators, each coupled to a heat reservoir. In the limit of large damping we reobtain the exponential and squared-log behaviors, providing a self-consistent derivation of the FL. For small damping “equipartition frustration” leads to a well-known ballistic behaviour, whose incompatibility with the FL posed a long-time challenge.