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DOI 10.1007/s12665-010-0608-1
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Title (Primary) Non-isothermal flow in low permeable porous media: a comparison of Richards' and two-phase flow approaches
Author Wang, W. ORCID logo ; Rutquist, J.; Görke, U.-J.; Birkholzer, J.T.; Kolditz, O. ORCID logo
Source Titel Environmental Earth Sciences
Year 2011
Department ENVINF
Volume 62
Issue 6
Page From 1197
Page To 1207
Language englisch
Keywords Non-isothermal two-phase flow; Richards' approximation; Porous media; CTF1 experiment; DECOVALEX task D
Abstract The present work compares the performance of two alternative flow models for the simulation of thermal-hydraulic coupled processes in low permeable porous media: non-isothermal Richards' and two-phase flow concepts. Both models take vaporization processes into account: however, the Richards' model neglects dynamic pressure variations and bulk flow of the gaseous phase. For the comparison of the two approaches first published, data from a laboratory experiment are studied involving thermally driven moisture flow in a partially saturated bentonite sample. Then a benchmark test of longer-term thermal-hydraulic behavior in the engineered barrier system of a geological nuclear waste repository is analyzed (DECOVALEX project). It was found that both models can be used to reproduce the vaporization process if the intrinsic permeability is relative high. However, when a thermal-hydraulic coupled problem has the same low intrinsic permeability, only the two-phase flow approach provides reasonable results.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=10877
Wang, W., Rutquist, J., Görke, U.-J., Birkholzer, J.T., Kolditz, O. (2011):
Non-isothermal flow in low permeable porous media: a comparison of Richards' and two-phase flow approaches
Environ. Earth Sci. 62 (6), 1197 - 1207 10.1007/s12665-010-0608-1