HR: 1340h
AN: H33A-0458    [Abstracts]
TI: Modeling of Single-Phase Flow in One-Dimensional Poroelastic Media
AU: * Barry, D A
EM: d.a.barry@ed.ac.uk
AF: University of Edinburgh, School of Engineering and Electronics, Edinburgh, EH9 3JL United Kingdom
AU: Lockington, D A
EM: d.lockington@uq.edu.au
AF: University of Queensland, School of Engineering, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
AU: Jeng, D
EM: d.jeng@civil.usyd.edu.au
AF: University of Sydney, Department of Civil Engineering, Sydney, NSW 2006 Australia
AU: Parlange, J
EM: jp58@cornell.edu
AF: Cornell University, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Ithaca, NY 14853 United States
AU: Li, L
EM: l.li@uq.edu.au
AF: University of Queensland, School of Engineering, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
AU: Stagnitti, F
EM: frankst@deakin.edu.au
AF: Deakin University, School of Ecology and Environment, Warrnambool, VIC 3280 Australia
AB: A nonlinear model for low Reynolds number, single-phase fluid flow in slightly compressible porous media is presented and solved approximately. The model assumes state equations for density, porosity, viscosity and permeability that are exponential functions of the fluid (either gas or liquid) pressure. We show that the governing equation can then be transformed into a nonlinear diffusion equation with a type of power-law diffusivity. It is solved for a semi-infinite domain for either constant pressure or constant flux boundary conditions at the surface. For the particular case where the permeability varies linearly with porosity, the transformation yields a linear governing equation and exact solutions are easily obtained. For other cases, analytical approximations are derived based on existing unsaturated flow analyses. Because the diffusivity function is much more linear than for the unsaturated flow case, a modified theory that is exact in the linear limit is developed. The solutions obtained, although approximate, are extremely accurate as demonstrated by comparisons with numerical results. Existing experimental data are analyzed using the new theory. Model predictions for the surface pressure resulting from constant-flux injection into a porous medium are shown to compare well with the data.
DE: 5104 Fracture and flow
DE: 1899 General or miscellaneous
DE: 3210 Modeling
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 1866 Soil moisture
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting