Speaker
Description
Fractures dominate water migration and strongly affect thermal evolution and ice formation in porous media exposed to freeze-thaw cycles. These cycles create complex thermo-hydraulic interactions between fractures and their surrounding matrix, reshaping flow dynamics and phase transitions. Yet, coupled processes governing fracture-matrix exchange in complex fractured porous media remains poorly understood. Thus, this study aims to develop a robust computational framework for simulating coupled thermo-hydraulic processes with phase change in fractured porous media. In our model, fractures are represented as interior boundary elements, enabling interfacial heat transfer and fluid exchange under local thermal non-equilibrium assumption. Latent heat effects are incorporated through temperature-dependent relations for saturation, and permeability. Simulation results reveal a fracture aperture-dependent temperature evolution process. Small apertures have minimal impact on temperature distribution, whereas larger apertures reshape thermal patterns via convective flow. We also report that outlet blockage during freezing modifies connectivity and triggers transitions between convective and conductive regimes of heat transfer. As thaw progresses, reconnected pathways restore convective transport and accelerate melting. This dynamic interplay highlights how fracture connectivity and flow structure control thermal evolution and phase change behavior. Our results have important implications for understanding and predicting freeze-thaw dynamics in cold regions.
Key words: thermo-hydraulic coupling, phase change, freeze-thaw dynamics, local thermal non-equilibrium
| Country | Sweden |
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