Publication Date:
2021-03-29
Description:
This article explores double-diffusive convective fluid motion in an aquifer above a salt dome. Aside from the ambient regional flow regime, the hydraulic conditions in an aquifer connected with a salt formation are determined by differences in salinity. Whereas density-driven flow patterns induced by the effect of salt have been studied before we focus on the additional effect of temperature. For the model setup, we select typical parameter values that are characteristic of not only the lowlands in Germany and Poland. For the computation of flow in a vertical cross-section, we use numerical modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics. The size and strength of eddies in the high salinity region above the aquifer base are strongly influenced by thermal effects. A sensitivity study shows a wide range of convection phenomena, ranging from the absence of convective motions via steady and oscillating circulation to unsteady fluctuating patterns. The flow and transport parameters show the highest sensitivity to the thermal Rayleigh number.
Keywords:
Salt dome; Thermohaline flow; Dimensionless formulation; COMSOL; Mixed convection
;
551
;
Earth Sciences; Classical Continuum Physics; Hydrogeology ; Civil Engineering; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Geotechnical Engineering
Language:
English
Type:
article
,
publishedVersion
Format:
application/pdf
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