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Coupled Process Models of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Hydrothermal Systems in Three Dimensions

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Abstract

Geothermal fields and hydrothermal mineral deposits are manifestations of the interaction between heat transfer and fluid flow in the Earth’s crust. Understanding the factors that drive fluid flow is essential for managing geothermal energy production and for understanding the genesis of hydrothermal mineral systems. We provide an overview of fluid flow drivers with a focus on flow driven by heat and hydraulic head. We show how numerical simulations can be used to compare the effect of different flow drivers on hydrothermal mineralisation. We explore the concepts of laminar flow in porous media (Darcy’s law) and the non-dimensional Rayleigh number (Ra) for free thermal convection in the context of fluid flow in hydrothermal systems in three dimensions. We compare models of free thermal convection to hydraulic head driven flow in relation to hydrothermal copper mineralisation at Mount Isa, Australia. Free thermal convection occurs if the permeability of the fault system results in Ra above the critical threshold, whereas a vertical head gradient results in an upward flow field.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Xstrata Copper for permission to use the Mount Isa Model. Part of the research work reported here was conducted within the predictive mineral discovery Cooperative Research Centre (pmd*CRC). Special thanks are given to Heather Sheldon and Margot Isenbeck-Schröter for their highly constructive reviews of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Centre for CO2 Storage, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    M. Kühn

  2. The University of Western Australia, Centre for Exploration Targeting, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    K. Gessner

  3. CSIRO Exploration and Mining, 26 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia

    K. Gessner

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  1. M. Kühn
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  2. K. Gessner
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Correspondence to M. Kühn.

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Kühn, M., Gessner, K. Coupled Process Models of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Hydrothermal Systems in Three Dimensions. Surv Geophys 30, 193–210 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-009-9060-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-009-9060-8

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