Numerical modeling research conducted during my M.S. degree program (Hydrology) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Portfolio of materials produced during research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Geoscience in pursuit of my M.S. Hydrology degree. Contents primarily include the final thesis draft and associated visualizations relating to flow and heat exchange modeling in a highly-realistic fractured rock model domain for the purpose of constraining geothermal efficiency at various surface roughnesses.
Quantitative studies of flow in fractured rock are important to engineering, hydrogeological, and geotechnical practices due to the ubiquitous nature of fractures in geological media. Importantly, fluid flow through fractured systems induces energy and chemical exchange with the host rock. The nature and magnitude of this exchange, however, is shown to be dependent upon several factors including flow path tortuosity and aperture heterogeneity.
Due to the difficulty of observing flow fields in a natural fracture system, many studies of single-fracture flow rely upon geometric simplifications such as the parallel plate model. These models, however, lead to inaccuracies when predicting advection and diffusion in natural systems characterized by surface roughness, aperture heterogeneity, and flow channeling. While such deviations from parallel plate flow have significant effects on heat exchange characteristics within fractures, studies in this regard are lacking.
To address this deficiency, this study is conducted to quantitatively model the effect of natural fracture variability on fluid flow and energy exchange processes. Natural fracture aperture geometries are acquired using white light interferometry for the purpose of numerical experimentation. Steady-state modeling of coupled heat diffusion and advection processes through the acquired fracture geometries is then conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics®. Parameters of interest include fracture surface roughness, aperture heterogeneity, flow anisotropy, and heat flux from the host rock to the fracture aperture during flow.
Results suggest that surface roughness correlates with a reduction in hydraulic aperture and heat exchange efficiency. Additionally, it is observed that the spatial correlation of the aperture distribution is linked to heat exchange efficiency in heterogeneous fractures. Results from numerical modeling are corroborated with an established analytical solution.
Python
MATLAB
COMSOL Multiphysics
AutoDesk
Noah Vriese
Email: noah@datawhirled.com
Github: nvriese1
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University of Wisconsin-Madison - Department of Geoscience (Madison, WI)
Liscense: MIT