Simulation of lava flows with power-law rheology

摘要

In this work we studied the effect of a power-law rheology on a gravity driven lava flow. Assuming a viscous fluid with constant temperature and constant density and assuming a steady flow in an inclined rectangular channel, the equation of the motion is solved by the finite volume method and a classical iterative solutor. Comparisons with observed channeled lava flows indicate that the assumption of the power-law rheology causes relevant differences in average velocity and volume flow rate with respect to the Newtonian rheology.