Theoretical and Numerical Investigation of the Cavity Evolution in Gypsum Rock

TitleTheoretical and Numerical Investigation of the Cavity Evolution in Gypsum Rock
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsLi, W, Einstein, H
JournalWater Resources Research
Pagination9988 - 10001
Date PublishedJan-11-2017
Abstract

When water flows through a preexisting cylindrical tube in gypsum rock, the nonuniform dissolution alters the tube into an enlarged tapered tube. A 2‐D analytical model is developed to study the transport‐controlled dissolution in an enlarged tapered tube, with explicit consideration of the tapered geometry and induced radial flow. The analytical model shows that the Graetz solution can be extended to model dissolution in the tapered tube. An alternative form of the governing equations is proposed to take advantage of the invariant quantities in the Graetz solution to facilitate modeling cavity evolution in gypsum rock. A 2‐D finite volume model was developed to validate the extended Graetz solution. The time evolution of the transport‐controlled and the reaction‐controlled dissolution models for a single tube with time‐invariant flow rate are compared. This comparison shows that for time‐invariant flow rate, the reaction‐controlled dissolution model produces a positive feedback between the tube enlargement and dissolution, while the transport‐controlled dissolution does not.

URLhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/2017WR021776
DOI10.1002/2017WR021776
Short TitleWater Resour. Res.