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Plume separation by transient thermohaline convection in porous media
Author(s) -
Oldenburg Curtis M.,
Pruess Karsten
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/1999gl002360
Subject(s) - plume , thermohaline circulation , convection , double diffusive convection , mechanics , advection , porous medium , thermal , geology , geophysics , natural convection , rayleigh number , thermodynamics , porosity , physics , climatology , geotechnical engineering
Research on thermohaline convection in porous media has borrowed heavily from the field of viscous liquid thermohaline convection. Transient thermohaline convection in porous media differs dramatically from that in viscous liquids because of thermal retardation. The effects of thermal retardation are well known in geothermal reservoir engineering for forced convection processes such as liquid reinjection. Thermal retardation causes heat to move at approximately the Darcy velocity, while solute moves at the pore velocity. The difference in transport of heat and solute makes transient thermohaline convection in porous media double‐advective rather than double‐diffusive. For upward moving plumes, dense solute is advected in front of the thermal plume and creates a density lid. For downward moving plumes, the dense solute plume separates from the thermal plume.