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The relative importance of convective and conductive effects in two-phase geothermal fields

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Abstract

Conductive and convective transport are related in two phase porous media, provided capillary effects are negligible. This paper shows that the role of conduction will be unimportant, relative to convective effects, for sufficiently high temperatures and sufficiently high permeabilities. An approximately linear relationship holds between temperature and the logarithm of permeability, above which conduction is unimportant relative to convection.

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Abbreviations

C :

two phase compressibility

C m :

rock heat capacity

D :

diffusivity

E :

energy density

g :

acceleration due to gravity

h l ,h v :

liquid, vapour enthalpy

J M ,J E :

mass, energy flows

k :

absolute permeability

k l ,k v :

liquid, vapour relative permeabilities (functions ofS)

K :

thermal conductivity

K k :

latent conductivity

M :

mass density

P :

pressure

S :

(liquid) saturation

t :

time

T :

temperature

V l ,V v :

liquid, vapour volumetric fluxes

V c :

continuous flux

e :

effective rock

l :

liquid (e.g. water)

v :

vapour (e.g. steam)

m :

rock matrix

Β :

gravity coefficient in mass flux

∂ :

partial

Μ :

two phase viscosity

Μ l , Μ v :

liquid, vapour dynamic viscosities

Φ :

porosity

ρ :

two-phase density

ρ l , ρ m , ρ v :

liquid, rock, vapour densities

ρ e C e :

effective density heat capacity product for rock-fluid media

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Mathematics, IRL, PO Box 31310, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

    Graham J. Weir

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  1. Graham J. Weir
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Weir, G.J. The relative importance of convective and conductive effects in two-phase geothermal fields. Transp Porous Med 16, 289–298 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00617152

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00617152

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