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Main Authors: Bringedal, C., Kiemle, S., van Duijn, C. J., Helmig, R.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.12784
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author Bringedal, C.
Kiemle, S.
van Duijn, C. J.
Helmig, R.
author_facet Bringedal, C.
Kiemle, S.
van Duijn, C. J.
Helmig, R.
contents Evaporation from a porous medium partially saturated with saline water, causes the salinity (salt concentration) to increase near the top of the porous medium as water leaves while salt stays behind. As the density of the water increases with increased salt concentration, the evaporation leads to a gravitational unstable setting, where density instabilities can form. Whether density instabilities form, depends on a large range of parameters like the evaporation rate and intrinsic permeability of the porous medium, but also on the water saturation. As water saturation decreases, the storage, convection and diffusion of salt also decrease, which all influence the onset of instabilities. By performing a linear stability analysis on the governing equations, we give criteria for onset of instabilities. Numerical simulations give information about the further development of these instabilities. With this knowledge we can predict whether and when density instabilities occur, and how they will influence the further development of salt concentration in the porous medium.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_12784
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Impact of saturation on evaporation-driven density instabilities in porous media: mathematical and numerical analysis
Bringedal, C.
Kiemle, S.
van Duijn, C. J.
Helmig, R.
Fluid Dynamics
Analysis of PDEs
Evaporation from a porous medium partially saturated with saline water, causes the salinity (salt concentration) to increase near the top of the porous medium as water leaves while salt stays behind. As the density of the water increases with increased salt concentration, the evaporation leads to a gravitational unstable setting, where density instabilities can form. Whether density instabilities form, depends on a large range of parameters like the evaporation rate and intrinsic permeability of the porous medium, but also on the water saturation. As water saturation decreases, the storage, convection and diffusion of salt also decrease, which all influence the onset of instabilities. By performing a linear stability analysis on the governing equations, we give criteria for onset of instabilities. Numerical simulations give information about the further development of these instabilities. With this knowledge we can predict whether and when density instabilities occur, and how they will influence the further development of salt concentration in the porous medium.
title Impact of saturation on evaporation-driven density instabilities in porous media: mathematical and numerical analysis
topic Fluid Dynamics
Analysis of PDEs
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.12784