Uptake of water from soils by plant roots

Uptake of water by plant roots can be considered at two different Darcian scales, referred to as the mesoscopic and macroscopic scales. At the mesoscopic scale, uptake of water is represented by a flux at the soil–root interface, while at the macroscopic scale it is represented by a sink term in the volumetric mass balance. At the mesoscopic scale, uptake of water by individual plant roots can be described by a diffusion equation, describing the flow of water from soil to plant root, and appropriate initial and boundary conditions. The model involves at least two characteristic lengths describing the root–soil geometry and two characteristic times, one describing the capillary flow of water from soil to plant roots and another the ratio of supply of water in the soil and uptake by plant roots. Generally, at a certain critical time, uptake will switch from demand-driven to supply-dependent. In this paper, the solutions of some of the resulting mesoscopic linear and nonlinear problems are reviewed. The resulting expressions for the evolution of the average water content can be used as a basis for upscaling from the mesoscopic to the macroscopic scale. It will be seen that demand-driven and supply-dependent uptake also emerge at the macroscopic scale. Information about root systems needed to operationalize macroscopic models will be reviewed briefly.     

Influence of root resistivity on plant water uptake mechanism,part I: numerical solution

The issue of water flow through the root zone of field crops represents a complex problem requiring knowledge of a large spectrum of phenomena from various disciplines. Although many investigations have been devoted to gain better understanding of water dynamics in the root zone, the problem is still insufficiently understood. The main objective of the presented work was to analyze the importance of root water resistivity in the plant water extraction process. The problem was solved numerically for a wide range of the soil–root conductivity ratio (SRCR). Two different types of root water uptake (RWU) mechanisms were obtained. The first one is related to low root resistivity or low SRCR, and, thus, exhibits a so-called “moving uptake front” (MUF) effect observed previously in several experimental studies. The second one is inherent in large values of root resistivity or high values of SRCR (larger than 10⁴), and is strongly dependent on the root density distribution. Deceased.     

A model for solute transport following an abrupt pressure impact in saturated porous media

A mathematical model is developed of an abrupt pressure impact applied to a compressible fluid with solute, flowing through saturated porous media. Nondimensional forms of the macroscopic balance equations of the solute mass and of the fluid mass and momentum lead to dominant forms of these equations. Following the onset of the pressure change, we focus on a sequence of the first two time intervals at which we obtain reduced forms of the balance equations. At the very first time period, pressure is proven to be distributed uniformly within the affected domain, while solute remains unaffected. During the second time period, the momentum balance equation for the fluid conforms to a wave form, while the solute mass balance equation conforms to an equation of advective transport. Fluid's nonlinear wave equation together with its mass balance equation, are separately solved for pressure and velocity. These are then used for the solution of solute's advective transport equation. The 1-D case, conforms to a pressure wave equation, for the solution of fluid's pressure and velocity. A 1-D analytical solution of the transport problem, associates these pressure and velocity with an exponential power which governs solute's motion along its path line.     

Analytical model of steam zone propagation in porous media

Steam injected into oil-bearing porous media forms a steam zone which propagates in three-dimensional space. The injected steam forms the condensation front bounding the seam zone. Simultaneous mass and the energy transfers take place through this moving boundary, between the rocks and fluids inside and outside the steam zone. The energy transfer is by conduction and convection. A new mathematical model describes the propagation growth of the steam zone subject to initial and boundary conditions, and is applicable in a general case of heterogeneous steam zone of arbitrary geometry. The model is based on the simultaneous analytical solution of the coupled overall mass and energy balance equations for a multi-phase steam zone, and is presented here for the first time. The resulting nonlinear integral equation does not have an analytical solution for a general case. The exact solution is found for a cylindrical homogeneous steam zone. For a special case of a one-dimensional, two phase steam zone, this solution shows excellent agreement with available experimental data.     

Numerical Simulations for Saltwater Intrusion by the Mixed Hybrid Finite Element Method and Discontinuous Finite Element Method

The proposed numerical code simulates the displacement of two miscible fluids through a saturated porous medium (2D configuration). Coupling between flow and transport is carried out by an equation of state. In the mixing zone, the density is assumed to vary as a function of concentration. The model uses a combination of the mixed hybrid finite element method and the discontinuous finite element method.Applied in its classical development, the mixed hybrid finite element method leads to a non-conservative formulation of the mass balance equation. However, one of the main reasons for using this technique is the ability to conserve mass cell-by-cell. Consequently, a new formulation that makes it possible to hold the conservative form of the continuity equation and so preserve the mass cell-wise is proposed. Although the pertinence of these approaches could have also been tested on other standard benchmarks, e.g., Elder's problem or salt dome problem, we have voluntarily limited ourselves to Henry's problem (1964). This choice was dictated by the possibility of a comparison with a semi-analytical solution. Contrary to previous numerical results, the comparison is made for the whole mixing zone. The very good agreement between our results and the semi-analytical solution shows the robustness and the efficiency of this approach for the seawater intrusion problems.     

A depth‐integrated non‐hydrostatic finite element model for wave propagation

This paper presents a two‐dimensional finite element model for simulating dynamic propagation of weakly dispersive waves. Shallow water equations including extra non‐hydrostatic pressure terms and a depth‐integrated vertical momentum equation are solved with linear distributions assumed in the vertical direction for the non‐hydrostatic pressure and the vertical velocity. The model is developed based on the platform of a finite element model, CCHE2D. A physically bounded upwind scheme for the advection term discretization is developed, and the quasi second‐order differential operators of this scheme result in no oscillation and little numerical diffusion. The depth‐integrated non‐hydrostatic wave model is solved semi‐implicitly: the provisional flow velocity is first implicitly solved using the shallow water equations; the non‐hydrostatic pressure, which is implicitly obtained by ensuring a divergence‐free velocity field, is used to correct the provisional velocity, and finally the depth‐integrated continuity equation is explicitly solved to satisfy global mass conservation. The developed wave model is verified by an analytical solution and validated by laboratory experiments, and the computed results show that the wave model can properly handle linear and nonlinear dispersive waves, wave shoaling, diffraction, refraction and focusing. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

One-dimensional unsteady inertial flow in phreatic aquifers induced by a sudden change of the boundary head

We are examining the classical problem of unsteady flow in a phreatic semi-infinite aquifer, induced by sudden rise or drawdown of the boundary head, by taking into account the influence of the inertial effects. We demonstrate that for short times the inertial effects are dominant and the equation system describing the flow behavior can be reduced to a single ordinary differential equation. This equation is solved both numerically by the Runge-Kutta method and analytically by the Adomian’s decomposition approach and an adequate polynomial-exponential approximation as well. The influence of the viscous term, occurring for longer times, is also taken into account by solving the full Forchheimer equation by a finite difference approach. It is also demonstrated that as for the Darcian flow, for the case of small fluctuations of the water table, the computation procedure can be simplified by using a linearized form of the mass balance equation. Compact analytical expressions for the computation of the water stored or extracted from an aquifer, including viscous corrections are also developed.     

Infiltration of Salt Solute in Homogeneous and Saturated Porous Media – An Analytical Solution Evaluated by Numerical Simulations

In many cases various land disposal activities (e.g. infiltration, injection wells) constitute an important potential source of groundwater contamination. Using a 2D physical model, the behaviour of the infiltration of a salt solute, locally injected in a homogeneous and saturated porous medium, has been analysed. Under various experimental conditions (density effects, injection flow rate) the salt solute penetrates the porous media and leads to a steady-state regime inside the mixing zone. By using experimental observations, the basic equations describing the flow and transport phenomena can be simplified and an analytical solution obtained. Its validity is subject to numerical verification. The numerical model, based on the development of the mass balance equation expressed by its conservative form, uses a combination of the mixed hybrid finite element (MHFE) and discontinuous finite element (DFE) methods. The efficiency of this numerical model was previously verified on standard benchmarks, for example Elder's problem and Henry's problem. In the first step, the qualitative good agreement between the experimental and numerical results enabled us to use the numerical model in order to verify some hypotheses resulting from visual observations. Thus, the numerical results reveal the existence of a steady-state regime inside the mixing zones. Nevertheless, both its vertical and longitudinal extensions are less than those observed in the physical model. In the second step, the numerical results enable to establish the validity domain as well as the accuracy of the proposed analytical solution.     

Phase-field modeling of hydraulic fracture

In this work a theoretical framework implementing the phase-field approach to fracture is used to couple the physics of flow through porous media and cracks with the mechanics of fracture. The main modeling challenge addressed in this work, which is a challenge for all diffuse crack representations, is on how to allow for the flow of fluid and the action of fluid pressure on the aggregate within the diffuse damage zone of the cracks. The theory is constructed by presenting the general physical balance laws and conducting a consistent thermodynamic analysis to constrain the constitutive relationships. Constitutive equations that reproduce the desired responses at the various limits of the phase-field parameter are proposed in order to capture Darcy-type flow in the intact porous medium and Stokes-type flow within open cracks. A finite element formulation for the solution of the governing model equations is presented and discussed. Finally, the theoretical and numerical model is shown to compare favorably to several important analytical solutions. More complex and interesting calculations are also presented to illustrate some of the advantageous features of the approach.     

Complementary mild-slope equations in a two-layer fluid

Mild-slope (MS) type equations are depth-integrated models, which predict under appropriate conditions refraction and diffraction of linear time-harmonic water waves. By using a streamfunction formulation instead of a velocity potential one, the complementary mild-slope equation (CMSE) was shown to give better agreement with exact linear theory compared to other MS-type equations. The main goal of this work is to extend the CMSE model for solving two-layer flow with a free-surface. In order to allow for an exact reference, an analytical solution for a two-layer fluid over a sloping plane beach is derived. This analytical solution is used for validating the results of the approximated MS-type models. It is found that the two-layer CMSE model performs better than the potential based one. In addition, the new model is used for investigating the scattering of linear surface water waves and interfacial ones over variable bathymetry.     

Heat transfer analysis of a particle-containing channel flow

This paper describes an analytical model of heat transfer in a two-dimensional, steady, nonreacting particle-containing channel flow. An idealized gas flow of specified uniform velocity between insulated parallel plates is assumed and the nonvaporizing particles are conceptualized as contained within an thin sheet injected at the symmetry plane. Two dimensionless parameters that affect the solution are described. These are the effective gas diffusivityK and the dimensionless particle number densityP. The linear, coupled differential equations governing the energy exchange between the gas and liquid phases are solved by means of the Green's function technique. This procedure yields a Volterra integral-series equation as the solution of the gas-phase energy equation. A series solution of this integral equation is obtained by the method of successive substitutions and terms up to second order are calculated.     

Analytical solution of the poiseuille flow problem using the ellipsoidal-statistical model of the Boltzmann kinetic equation

An analytical solution (in the form of a Neumann series) of the problem of rarefied gas flow in a plane channel with infinite walls in the presence of a pressure gradient (Poiseuille flow) parallel to them is constructed within the framework of the kinetic approach in an isothermal approximation. The ellipsoidal-statistical model of the Boltzmann kinetic equation and the diffuse reflection model are used as the basic equation and the boundary condition, respectively. Using the resulting distribution function, the mass and heat flux densities in the direction of the pressure gradient per unit channel length in the y′ direction are calculated, and profiles of the gas mass velocity and heat flux in the channel are constructed. The results obtained for the continuum and free-molecular flow models are analyzed and compared with similar results obtained by numerical methods.     

An analytical model for plug flow in microcapillaries with circular cross section

Plug flow in microcapillaries or microchannels offers significant advantages for the development of microfluidic applications and recently triggers many interests and studies. Recirculation is formed within liquid plugs due to the presence of interfaces. This paper presents an analytical model to investigate the recirculation flow and the flow resistance in microcapillaries with circular cross section. A fourth order partial differential equation is used to model the Stokes flow within the liquid plug. The results of the flow field show that the flow pattern is affected by the plug length. The flow resistance is determined through the force balance of the liquid plug. The comparison of the flow field and the flow resistance from the analytical model and the experiments shows good agreement.     

应变软化土体中柱形扩孔解析

给出子考虑剪胀作用的线性软化土体中柱形孔扩张的应力、位移场解析解;根据体积平衡方程导出极限护孔压力和最大塑性区半径的解析表达式,较好地弥补了经典理论的不足;计算讨论了土体软化和剪胀特性对柱形扩孔的影响。     

On the problem of fluid leakoff during hydraulic fracturing

While a hydraulic fracture is propagating, fluid flow and associated pressure drops must be accounted for both along the fracture path and perpendicularly, into the formation that is fractured, because of fluid leakoff. The accounting for the leakoff shows that it is the main factor that determines the crack length. The solved problem is useful for the technology of hydraulic fracturing and a good example of mass transport in a porous medium. To find an effective approach for the solution, the thin crack is represented here as the boundary condition for pore pressure spreading in the formation. Earlier such model was used for heat conduction into a rock massif from a seam under injection of hot water. Of course, the equations have other physical sense and mathematically they are somewhat different. The new plane solution is developed for a linearized form that permits the application of the integral transform. The linearization itself is analogous to the linearization of the natural gas equation using the real gas pseudo-pressure function and where the flux rates are held constant and approximations are introduced only into the time derivatives. The resulting analytical solution includes some integrals that can be calculated numerically. This provides rigorous tracking of the created fracture volume, leakoff volume and increasing fracture width. The solutions are an advance over existing discreet formulations and allow ready calculations of the resulting fracture dimensions during the injection of the fracturing fluid.     

Effects of Mass Reduction,Flow Reduction and Enhanced Biodecay of DNAPL Source Zones

A mathematical model and an analytical solution are presented to describe field-scale dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source dissolution and source zone biodecay rates coupled with advective–dispersive dissolved plume transport. The model is employed to investigate various source remediation options on source zone mass depletion, net source mass flux, and dissolved plume attenuation for different source zone “architectures” (i.e., pools versus residual DNAPL) and compliance criteria. Remediation options considered include partial source mass removal, source flow reduction, and source zone enhanced biodecay. Partial mass reduction reduces the source zone mass flux and downgradient concentrations for residual DNAPL sources and pools, which can significantly reduce dissolved plume size and time to reach compliance criteria. Source zone flow reduction decreases the rate of source mass depletion, but can facilitate compliance, if concentrations at compliance locations are not too high initially. Increase in source biodecay rate, especially with concomitant increases in dissolution kinetics, can decrease the time to achieve compliance criteria over biodecay alone.     

A Numerical Model of Transient Unsaturated Flow Under Centrifugation Based on Mass Balance

Numerical modeling of unsaturated flow in porous media under centrifugation is studied. A precise and numerically efficient approximation is presented for the mathematical model, based on Richards’ nonlinear and degenerate equation expressed in terms of effective saturation using the Van Genuchten–Mualem ansatz. The main difference with other methods is the utilization of a nonlocal condition based on mass balance. The method is suitable for determination of soil parameters, including the saturated conductivity, via the solution of an inverse problem in an iterative way. First, the fully saturated sample is centrifugated with a free outflow boundary during some time interval. Next, the output boundary is sealed and the sample is centrifugated for a prescribed time interval, or up to the creation of an equilibrium. Finally, the centrifugation is continued with a free outflow boundary. This procedure can be repeated to increase the information to drive the inverse problem. The application of the present method requires only non-intrusive, cheap measurements: rotational momentum and/or gravitational center of the sample, and optionally, the amount of expelled water.     

Integrable flow equations that incorporate spatial heterogeneity

Exactly solvable models are constructed in the Darcy-Buckingham approach to unsaturated flow in porous media with continuous spatial variability. The steady soil water potential distribution, for evaporation from a scale-heterogeneous soil with water table, is given explicitly. The cumulative infiltration predicted by a scale-heterogeneous Green-Ampt model is shown to be inconsistent with that expected from a temporal power series solution of the general flow equation. New integrable forms of the unsaturated heterogeneous flow equation are built up from those exactly solvable forms of the homogeneous flow equation which possess special Lie-Bäcklund symmetry groups.     

Nonisothermal multiphase flow of brine and gas through saline media

We propose a general formulation for nonisothermal multiphase flow of brine and gas through saline media. The balance equations include mass balance (three species), equilibrium of stresses and energy balance (total internal energy). Salt, water and air mass balance equations are established. The balance of salt allows the establishment of the equation for porosity evolution due to solid skeleton deformation, dissolution/precipitation of salt and migration of brine inclusions. Water and air mass balance equations are also obtained. Two equations are required for water: total water in the medium and water present in solid phase brine inclusions. The mechanical problem is formulated through the equation of stress equilibrium. Finally, the balance of internal energy is established assuming thermal equilibrium between phases. Some general aspects of the constitutive theory are also presented.