Geophysical Flows

Introduction

We are principally interested in two areas of geophysics: (1) Buoyancy driven flows, and (2) Flows involving the interaction of an elastic solid and a viscous fluid.

In (1) we focus on Raleigh-Taylor instability and rising bubbles in conduit as a mechanism for explosive volcanic eruption. To this end we have developed a sharp “ghost fluid” 2-phase level set Stokes solver capable of high density and viscosity contrast.

In (2) we are developing numerical techniques to couple in Eulerian frame a viscous fluid with an elastic solid. The main geophysical applications are the modeling of viscous damping in porous medium (rock), and problems involving elastic waves and free boundaries.

Buoyancy Driven Flows

with J. Suckale, B. Hager, L.T. Elkins-Tanton

[Click on the pictures below for movies in DIVX format]

Iso-viscous plume rising under buoyancy (both fluids are simulated / fully 3D)

Gas bubbles rising – non coalescing case (Stokes Regime)

Gas bubbles rising – coalescing and breaking case (higher RE)

Fluid-Solid Coupling

with Y. Zhang, N. Toksöz

Wave induced flow – Berea sandstone with a pore (center) filled with water

A soft elastic ball falling in water

Relevant Publications:

Suckale, J., Nave, J.-C., Hager, B.H., “How to Make the Most out of Level Sets for Geodynamical Modeling”, AGU, 2008 PDF

Suckale, J., Nave, J.-C., Hager, B.H., Elkins-Tanton, L.T, “No more troubles with magma bubbles: numerical simulations of gas dynamics in viscous magma”, AGU, 2008 PDF

K. Kamrin, J.C. Nave, Y. Zhang, “An Eulerian Approach to the Interaction of an Elastic Solid with a Viscous Fluid”, (in preparation)

K. Kamrin, J.C. Nave, “An Eulerian approach to the simulation of deformable solids: Application to finite-strain elasticity”, submitted to J. Comp. Phys., preprint: arXiv:0901.3799

J. Suckale, J.C. Nave, B. Hager, “Improving the Numerical Modeling of Buoyancy Driven Flows”, JGR, (submitted)

J. Suckale, B. Hager, L.T. Elkins-Tanton., J.C. Nave, “Numerical Modeling of Bubble Coalescence in Volcanic Conduits”, JGR (submitted)

Y. Zhang, J.C. Nave, N. Toksöz, “A Coupled Solid Fluid Numerical Method to Simulate Wave Induced Fluid Flow at Pore Scale” (in preparation)

S. Banerjee, V. Badalassi, V. Dwivedi, J.-C. Nave, D. Hall, “The Direct Numerical Simulation of Two-Phase Flows with Interface Capturing Methods”, La Houille Blanche, (2005) PDF

J.C. Nave, “Direct Numerical Simulation of Liquid Films”, UCSB Ph.D. Thesis (2004) PDF

Last Modified by Jean-Christophe Nave – July 2009