Physical Experiments, Visualization and Numerical Analysis of Free Thermal and Thermohaline Convection in Quasi-2D Homogeneous Isotropic Porous Media

Density-driven flow caused by concomitant differences in temperature and salinity, known as thermohaline convection, is important in understanding the circulation of deep geofluids, e.g., in geothermal energy production. We carried out experiments of free thermal and thermohaline convection in homogeneous isotropic media using a laboratory-scale two-dimensional tank filled with glass beads representing a porous medium. Glass beads of different diameter were used in different experiments to achieve different permeabilities of the porous medium. Density and viscosity of the fluid were changed by initially introducing a salt (NaCl) solution and by applying a heating device placed inside the tank. Fluid temperature inside the tank was measured over time on multiple thermocouples placed inside the tank on the inner glass walls. The fluid was dyed with two color tracers in order to visualize the emerging free convective flow pattern. The convective flow pattern was captured using a digital camera for the tracer distribution and an IR camera for the temperature distribution. In subsequent numerical simulations, the experiments were successfully simulated numerically including density/viscosity variations and heat loss of the tank to the laboratory air across the back and front glass plates. Flow and transport parameters were calibrated using the results of the experiments with constant salinity. The set of calibrated parameter values was applied to successfully validate a thermohaline experiment with no need for further calibration. The processes of salt (NaCl) transport and heat transfer were both very accurately simulated in a single simulation. The approaches and results presented here can be used for interpretation, testing and analysis of other simulation software of free thermohaline flow and transport. Analysis of flow velocities and streamlines showed that flow packages in a convection cell mostly follow a closed path such that there is little radial mixing.