Heat and Mass Transfer in Models of Undeveloped Geothermal Fields

摘要

A brief summary is given of the nondimensional equations and relevant parameters to be used for describing convection processes in the geothermal setting. Characteristic estimates of flow rates and pressure variation (beyond the hydrostatic value) are given. it is shown that the complete equation system can be reduced in complexity by neglecting terms which describe physically insignificant effects. The resulting equations are used to consider the onset of convection in a horizontal saturated porous slab when a realistic model of viscosity variation is used. It is shown that the classical constant viscosity prediction is in error both quantitatively and qualitatively. A calculation is made for the rate of convective upflow in a model fault zone. It is shown that under appropriate conditions it is possible to transport as much as 2-3 x 10{sup 6} kg/day up a fault system with a horizontal cross-sectional area of only 0.3 km{sup 2}.