Fracture/Conduit Flow

Motivation

Fractured rock (NSW Australia)

 Karst http://research.gg.uwyo.edu/kincaid/
Modeling/wakulla/wakcave2.jpg

~11 m3 s-1
~100 m

White Scar, England; photo by Ian

McKenzie, Calgary, Canada
These data and images were produced at the
High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography
Facility of the University of Texas at Austin
Basic Fluid Dynamics
 Momentum
• p = mu
 Viscosity
• Resistance to flow; momentum diffusion
• Low viscosity: Air
• High viscosity: Honey
• Kinematic viscosity:




 Reynolds Number
• The Reynolds Number (Re) is a non-dimensional
number that reflects the balance between viscous and
inertial forces and hence relates to flow instability (i.e.,
the onset of turbulence)
• Re = v L/
• L is a characteristic length in the system
• Dominance of viscous force leads to laminar flow (low
velocity, high viscosity, confined fluid)
• Dominance of inertial force leads to turbulent flow (high
velocity, low viscosity, unconfined fluid)
Re << 1 (Stokes Flow)

Tritton, D.J. Physical Fluid Dynamics, 2nd Ed. Oxford

University Press, Oxford. 519 pp.
Separation
Eddies, Cylinder Wakes, Vortex
Streets
Re = 30

Re = 40

Re = 47

Re = 55

Re = 67

Re = 100

Tritton, D.J. Physical Fluid Dynamics, 2nd Ed. Oxford

Re = 41 University Press, Oxford. 519 pp.
 Eddies and Cylinder Wakes

Florida International University

S.Gokaltun
Streamlines for flow around a circular cylinder at 9 ≤ Re ≤ 10.(g=0.00001, L=300 lu, D=100 lu)
 Eddies and Cylinder Wakes

Florida International University

S.Gokaltun
Streamlines for flow around a circular cylinder at 40 ≤ Re ≤ 50.(g=0.0001, L=300 lu, D=100 lu) (Photograph
by Sadatoshi Taneda. Taneda 1956a, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn., 11, 302-307.)
Poiseuille Flow

z
y u Flow
x a

L
 Poiseuille Flow
• In a slit or pipe, the velocities at the walls are 0
(no-slip boundaries) and the velocity reaches its
maximum in the middle
• The velocity profile in a slit is parabolic and
given by:
G   a  
2

ux     x 2

2    2  
u(x)


• G can be due to gravitational
acceleration (G = g in a vertical
slit) or the linear pressure gradient x=0 x = a/2

(Pin – Pout)/L
 Poiseuille Flow

G  a 
2

ux     x 2

2    2  

• Maximum
2
G a
umax   
2  2  u(x)

• Average
2 G 2
uaverage  umax  a
3 12 x=0 x = a/2
Poiseuille Flow

S.GOKALTUN
Florida International University
 Kirchoff’s Current Law
• Kirchoff’s law states that the total current flowing into a
junction is equal to the total current leaving the junction.

I1 node

Gustav Kirchoff I2 I3
was an 18th
century German
mathematician

I1 flows into the node

I2 flows out of the node
I1 = I2 + I3
I3 flows out of the node
• Ohm’s law relates the flow of current to the
electrical resistance and the voltage drop
• V = IR (or I = V/R) where:
– I = Current
– V = Voltage drop
– R = Resistance
• Ohm’s Law is analogous to Darcy’s law
• Poiseuille's law can related to Darcy’s law and
subsequently to Ohm's law for electrical circuits.

1 P 2 Q  uave A
uave  a
12  L
1 P 2
Q aa A = a *unit depth
12  L

• Cubic law:

a P 3
dh a 3

Q QK A K
12 L dx 12 
 36 lu

P12
Fracture Network
Q12

P  P12  P23  P34  P45  P56

900 lu

Q23 54 lu P23 Q12  Q34  Q56

Q34
Q23  Q45
P P34

108 lu
Q12  2Q23
Q45
P45

a12 P12 2a23 P23

3 3

Q56 
P56
12  L12 12  L23
a34 P34 2a45 P45 a56 P56
3 3 3
  
12  L34 12  L45 12 L56
-216 lu -
 Matrix Form
P12 P23
K12  2 K 23  0
L L

P23 P34  P12 

2 K 23  K 34  0  L 
 12 
L L  K12  2 K 23 0 0 0   P23   0 
 0 2 K 23  K 34 0 0   L23   0 
   P   
P34 P45  0 0 K 34  2 K 45 0   34    0 
K 34  2 K 45  0   L34  
 K56   P   0 
L L  0 0 0 2 K 45
 45 
 L12 L23 L34 L45 L56   L   P 
 P45 
P45 P56  56 
2 K 45  K 56  0  L56 
L L

P  P12  P23  P34  P45  P56

 Back Solution
• Have conductivities and, from the matrix
solution, the gradients
– Compute flows P12
Q K12
L

• Also have end pressures

– Compute intermediate pressures from Ps
 Hydrologic-Electric Analogy
Poiseuille's law corresponds to the Kirchoff/Ohm’s Law for electrical circuits,
where pressure drop Δp is replaced by voltage V and flow rate by current I
aP  P12  P23  P34  P45  P56

I12 Vmax   
P a 2
2 L 2
I
V
R
ΔP12
I23 I23

ΔP23
1
R
I34 K
ΔP34

ΔP45 I45 Q (lu3/ts)

I45 Re
LBM Kirchoff’s
0.66 0.11 0.11
I56
ΔP56 1.0 0.14 0.14
1.8 0.18 0.19
4.1 0.27 0.28
Q = 0.11 lu3/ts Q = 0.11 lu3/ts 7.2 0.36 0.37
43.0 0.87 0.92
Kirchoff LBM
 Entry Length Effects

Tritton, D.J. Physical Fluid Dynamics, 2nd Ed. Oxford

University Press, Oxford. 519 pp.
 Eddies
Serpa, CY, 2005, Unpublished MS Thesis, FIU
Bai, T., and Gross, M.R., 1999, J
Geophysical Res, 104, 1163-1177

3 mm
Flow

3.3 mm x 2.7 mm Re = 9
‘High’ Reynolds Number
Taneda, J. Fluid Mech.
1956. (Also Katachi
Society web pages)

• Single cylinder, Re ≈ 41
 Non-curving cross joint

4.0E-03 Non-linear

3.5E-03 y = 0.29x + 0.00

R2 = 1.00

3.0E-03

2.5E-03
FLUX (m/s)

2.0E-03

1.5E-03

1.0E-03
Non-curving cross joint

5.0E-04 Poiseuille Law Non-linear

0.295
0.0E+00
0.0E+00 2.0E-03 4.0E-03 6.0E-03 8.0E-03 1.0E-02 0.290
1.2E-02 1.4E-02
HEAD GRADIENT

HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY (m/s)

0.285

0.280

0.275

0.270

0.265

0.260

0.255

0.250
0.1 1.0 10.0 100.0
REYNOLDS NUMBER
 Darcy-Forschheimer Equation
• Darcy:

q  p
k
• +Non-linear drag term:


q  a q q  p
k
Apparent K as a function of hydraulic gradient
Approximate Reynolds Number
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
40
Hydraulic Conductivity (m s-1)

35

30
t=1
25

20

15

10 Darcy-Forchheimer Equation

0
1.E-09 1.E-08 1.E-07 1.E-06 1.E-05 1.E-04 1.E-03
Hydraulic Gradient

• Gradients could be higher locally

• Expect leveling at higher gradient?
 Streamlines at different
Reynolds Numbers
Re = 0.31 Re = 152
K = 34 m/s K = 20 m/s

• Streamlines traced forward and backwards from eddy locations and hence
begin and end at different locations
 Future
• Gray scale as hydraulic conductivity,
turbulence, solutes