A network model of channel competition in fracture dissolution

During dissolution in porous or fractured rock, a positive feedback between fluid transport and chemical reactions at the mineral surfaces may lead to the formation of pronounced, wormhole‐like channels. As the dissolution proceeds the channels interact, competing for the available flow, and eventua...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2006-03, Vol.33 (5), p.n/a
Main Authors: Szymczak, P., Ladd, A. J. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:During dissolution in porous or fractured rock, a positive feedback between fluid transport and chemical reactions at the mineral surfaces may lead to the formation of pronounced, wormhole‐like channels. As the dissolution proceeds the channels interact, competing for the available flow, and eventually the growth of the shorter ones ceases. Thus the number of channels decreases with time while the characteristic distance between them increases, which leads to a scale‐invariant, power‐law distribution of channel lengths. A simple resistor network model of the evolution of dissolving channels is constructed and its properties studied. The results are compared with pore‐scale simulations of fracture dissolution using a microscopic, three‐dimensional numerical model. Despite its simplicity, the resistor model is found to retain the essential features of the nonlinear interaction between the channels.
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2005GL025334