A locally conservative Eulerian–Lagrangian numerical method and its application to nonlinear transport in porous media

Eulerian-Lagrangian and Modified Method of Characteristics (MMOC) procedures provide computationally efficient techniques for approximating the solutions of transport-dominated diffusive systems. The original MMOC fails to preserve certain integral identities satisfied by the solution of the differential system; the recently introduced variant, called the MMOCAA, preserves the global form of the identity associated with conservation of mass in petroleum reservoir simulations, but it does not preserve a localized form of this identity. Here, we introduce an Eulerian-Lagrangian method related to these MMOC procedures that guarantees conservation of mass locally for the problem of two-phase, immiscible, incompressible flow in porous media. The computational efficiencies of the older procedures are maintained. Both the original MMOC and the MMOCAA procedures for this problem are derived from a nondivergence form of the saturation equation; the new method is based on the divergence form of the equation. A reasonably extensive set of computational experiments are presented to validate the new method and to show that it produces a more detailed picture of the local behavior in waterflooding a fractally heterogeneous medium. A brief discussion of the application of the new method to miscible flow in porous media is included. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Elastoplastic damage seepage–consolidation coupled model of unsaturated undisturbed loess and its application

Acta Geotechnica - The structural characteristic of unsaturated undisturbed loess has a significant impact on its mechanical properties. In this paper, based on the Barcelona basic model of...     

SPH model for fluid–structure interaction and its application to debris flow impact estimation

On 13 August 2010, significant debris flows were triggered by intense rainfall events in Wenchuan earthquake-affected areas, destroying numerous houses, bridges, and traffic facilities. To investigate the impact force of debris flows, a fluid–structure coupled numerical model based on smoothed particle hydrodynamics is established in this work. The debris flow material is modeled as a viscous fluid, and the check dams are simulated as elastic solid (note that only the maximum impact forces are evaluated in this work). The governing equations of both phases are solved respectively, and their interaction is calculated. We validate the model with the simulation of a sand flow model test and confirm its ability to calculate the impact force. The Wenjia gully and Hongchun gully debris flows are simulated as the application of the coupled smoothed particle hydrodynamic model. The propagation of the debris flows is then predicted, and we obtain the evolution of the impact forces on the check dams.     

Trace metal–humate interactions. I. Experimental determination of conditional stability constants

The enhancement of mobility of radionuclides in the geosphere through complexation by humic substances is a source of uncertainty in performance assessment of radioactive waste repositories. Only very few data sets are available which are relevant for performance assessment of an underground repository for radioactive waste. Using the equilibrium dialysis-ligand exchange method developed at the Paul Scherrer Institut, conditional stability constants for the formation of complexes of Aldrich humic acid with Ca²⁺, NpO₂⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, UO₂²⁺ and Eu³⁺ and complexes of Laurentian soil- and Suwannee River fulvic acid with Co²⁺, UO₂²⁺ and Eu³⁺ were measured. pH was varied between 5 and 10 and ionic strength between 0.02 and 0.2 M. The data are presented as equilibrium coefficients that are free from any model assumptions. The equilibrium coefficients increased in the order Ca²⁺≅NpO₂⁺<Co²⁺< Ni²⁺<UO₂²⁺< Eu³⁺. The quality of the data is assessed in an extended discussion of statistical and systematical errors, and by a critical ‘rereview’ of the auxiliary stability constants used for the calculation of the equilibrium coefficients. An approximate overall uncertainty of 0.5 log-units is estimated for the stability data reported. The conditional stability constants were found to increase markedly with increasing pH in the case of Co²⁺, UO₂²⁺ and Eu³⁺. For Ni²⁺, Ca²⁺ and NpO₂⁺ this effect was less pronounced. For all metal ions tested, the influence of ionic strength was of less importance, and the conditional stability constants did not show a significant dependence on the type of humic substances investigated.     

Trace metals mass balances for a lake and its catchment

In this study, the size of the metal pools and the fluxes between the pools of eight trace metals (Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb, Cd, Al, Mn, Fe) were measured in a small, oligotrophic, dilute lake located in south-central Ontario, Canada. The lake (Plastic Lake) and it…     

Hazard-based evaluation model of water inrush disaster sources in karst tunnels and its engineering application

Water inrush is one of the typical geological hazards that may occur during tunnel construction in a karst area. In this paper, a potential model is established based on attribute mathematics, to assess the risk of water inrush. First, the CaCO₃ content of regional strong karst, thickness of the regional strong karst layer, groundwater recharge area, discharge of groundwater, average temperature characteristic, groundwater level, groundwater cycle characteristic, surface karst morphology, fault structure, fold structure, and monoclinal structure are chosen as evaluation indexes of water inrush based on the principles of scientificity, rationality, operability, and representativeness. Second, the objective weight calculation formula is used to calculate the weights of the evaluation indices, and attribute measurement functions of each evaluation index are constructed to reckon the attribute measurement of a single index and synthetic attribute measurement. Lately, the identification and classification of water and mud inrush hazard in tunnels have been performed using a confidence criterion. In this paper, hazard level is graded as one of four types. The hazard-based assessment methodology is applied to the construction site of the Jigongling Tunnel along the entire Fanba Expressway route, and the findings are compared against the site’s actual situation. The results of the engineering practice show that the evaluation result is consistent with the actual construction situation; thus, the method can provide scientific guidance for tunnel construction units.     

Trace fossils of precambrian metazoans “Vendobionta” and “Mollusks”

Metazoan trace fossils from the Upper Vendian are preserved together with remains of corresponding organisms. The traces belong to “Vendobionta”, representing the Precambrian phylum Proarticulata and to a presumably trochophoran animal Kimberella quadrata. These organisms fed on microbial mats, which preserved fossil traces. Impressions of the mat surface structures, traces, and bodies of animals are preserved in marine terrigenous sediments on the basal surfaces of sandstone beds. Proarticulata grazing traces are represented by groups and chains of impressions left by the ventral side of a body or its central and posterior parts. Kimberella traces are represented by long ridges united into bundles, fans, and chains of fans. All these traces were largely formed mechanically, i.e., by mat scratching with cilia (Proarticulata) or teeth (Kimberella). Proarticulata representatives destroyed only a thin upper layer of the mat, while Kimberella could possibly scratch the mat through its entire thickness or even tear off pieces from it.     

The Quaternary： its character and definition

The Quaternary, is characterised by the development of widespread glaciations in mid-northern latitudes. As a chronostratigraphic term it has attracted vigorous debate. The Quaternao; as accepted by the International Union for Quaternary Research and proposed by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, begins at 2.6 Ma within a 2.8-2.4 Ma interval of profound change in Earth＇s climate system.     

SPH–DEM coupling method based on GPU and its application to the landslide tsunami. Part II: reproduction of the Vajont landslide tsunami

Acta Geotechnica - Landslide tsunamis are complex fluid–solid coupling processes that often cause enormous catastrophes. In this study, the smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and discrete...     

The surface properties of Malan loess and its application to removing Cr（Ⅲ） from contaminated water

Loess has unique compositions and structural characteristics and can be used for environmental protection. Differences between the surface characteristics of the Malan loess from the suburbs of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province before and after reaction with Cr(III) solution were studied by SEM/EDS, IR and XRD. The results showed that the Malan loess has a strong ability to remove Cr(III) from the solution. The surface characteristics of loess include an effect on Cr(III) in solution, as supported by the strong test evidence including the disappearance of Cr peak in the EDS spectrum, the disappearance of carbonate characteristic peaks in the infrared spectrogram, and the positive correlation between Fe and Cr peaks.     

The mantle rock (“laterite”) of the Gold Coast and its origin

Zusammenfassung Der Verwitterungsmantel (Laterit s. l.) der südlichen Goldküste besteht aus Horizonten, die sowohl verschiedene Entstehungsart als verschiedenes Alter haben. Brekzien oder Steinschichten sind unter aridem Klima als Wüstenpflaster entstanden. Zonen chemisch verwitterten Felses, Horizonte von lehmigem Sand (an deren Aufbau Termiten wesentlich beteiligt sind) und Konkretionen haben sich unter feuchtem Klima gebildet. Harte limonitische Oberflächen-Krusten deuten auf progressive Austrocknung hin. Unter diesen drei klimatischen Bedingungen gebildete Horizonte wiederholen sich mehrfach im Verwitterungsmantel der Goldküste. Ein junger, unvollständiger Zyklus ist weit verbreitet, ein älterer Zyklus tritt nur in begrenzten Vorkommen auf, und ein dritter Zyklus ist fast nur noch in aufgearbeiteten, limonitisierten Bruchstücken erhalten. Die wiederholten Klimaschwankungen machen es wahrscheinlich, daß der Verwitterungsmantel zeitlich dem größeren Teil des Quartärs entspricht. Wahrscheinlich können die Ergebnisse auf weit größere Gebiete angewandt werden.     

Synthetic light curves of close binaries in a cool-disk model. The “hot line” and “hot spot” as visual indicators of interaction between the flow and disk

We present a “combined” model taking into account visual manifestations of the interaction between the gas flow and the accretion disk in a close binary system in the form of a “hot line” and a “hot spot.” The binary consists of a red dwarf that fills its Roche lobe and a compact spherical star (a white dwarf or neutron star) surrounded with a thick ellipsoidal accretion disk of a complex shape. The disk thickness is not large near the compact star but increases according to a parabolic law towards its outer edge. The oblique collision of the gaseous flow with matter of the cool, rotating disk, whose outer edge has a temperature <10 000 K, creates an extended region of enhanced energy release. In the combined model, this region is represented with a hot line that coincides with the optically opaque part of the flow and is located outside the disk, together with a hot spot at the outer surface of the disk, on the leeward side of the flow. The synthetic light curves for the combinedmodel and a hot-line model demonstrate that both models are able to fairly accurately reproduce the shapes of both classical and atypical light curves of cataclysmic variables in quiescence. Our determination of the parameters of the cataclysmic variable OY Car from an analysis of its light curves using the two models shows that the basic characteristics of the close binary, such as the component mass ratio q = M ₁/M ₂, orbital inclination i, effective temperatures of the red dwarf (T ₂) and white dwarf (T ₁), and orientation of the disk α _e , remain the same within the errors. The parameters describing the size of the slightly elliptical disk and the radiation flux from the disk differ by several percent (∼ 2–8%). A more significant difference is detected in the parameters of the hot line, due to the different shape and alignment of the flow and the presence of an additional radiation source—the hot spot—on the disk.     

The Ridgeway Conglomerate Formation of SW Wales,and its implications. The end of the Lower Old Red Sandstone?

The Devonian Old Red Sandstone Ridgeway Conglomerate Formation crops out in Pembrokeshire, SW Wales. It was deposited as part of a dryland alluvial fan, axial fluvial valley deposystem. It conformably overlies the mid Lochkovian Freshwater West Formation and probably predates deposition of the Lower Cosheston Group Mill Bay Formation indicating an Early Devonian (latest Lochkovian to earliest Pragian) age, rather than a Middle Devonian age as suggested by previous workers. It therefore represents the youngest preserved formation of the Milford Haven Group south of the Ritec Fault. The Formation thickens drastically into the Ritec Fault, indicating its control on sedimentation. The half‐graben topography initiated deposition of a hangingwall alluvial fan that was sourced from a southerly Lower Palaeozoic/Precambrian provenance within the present‐day Bristol Channel. The Formation is heterolithic in nature, with deposits on the fan reflecting a mixture of processes. Conglomerates were deposited primarily by laterally extensive sheetfloods, and as bars in low‐relief, laterally accreted channels. Sandstones were also predominantly deposited by sheetfloods. Gritty mudrocks in comparison demonstrate deposition by cohesive debris flows. The fan prograded northward and interfingered with a low‐gradient, high‐sinuosity fluvial channel system dominated by inclined and non‐inclined heterolithic stratification. Thinly laminated mudstone and sandstone interbeds were deposited in ephemeral fan‐toe and axial valley lakes that may have developed during sub‐humid climatic episodes. The lacustrine heterolithic association has associated matgrounds and possible ‘algal roll‐up’ structures. Calcretized peetee structures and root traces comprise a lake margin calcrete association. Fan gravels prograded into the axial fluvial valley during periods of increased sediment flux that may represent semi‐arid conditions and/or episodes of tectonic activity. Calcretes of varying development were established in both the fan and axial valley zones. Calcretes with lower stages of development are more proximal to the Ritec Fault reflecting decreased soil residence times and high deposition rates within the axial valley. More strongly developed soil profiles on the fan may indicate sequence boundaries associated with low sediment flux, or increased soil residence time due to active fan‐channel migration (the pedofacies concept). Groundwater calcretes have sharp‐based and layer‐bound calcrete profiles. Gully‐bed cements are locally developed within the fan gravels. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Semi-analytical solutions for stream–aquifer interactions under triangular stream-stage variations and its application to study urbanization impacts in an ungaged watershed of south Texas

Simple yet physically based models to evaluate stream–aquifer interactions during a flooding event subject to triangular stream stage variation were developed in this study. The results from the developed models were compared with other analytical and numerical solutions and noted to be very accurate. The study fills an important gap with regard to available analytical and semi-analytical solutions for modeling stream–aquifer interactions, which can be used for evaluating numerical codes. In particular, the developed models are very useful to obtain preliminary insights with regard to bank storage in ungaged watersheds as required for watershed management and planning studies in rapidly urbanizing watersheds. The utility of the model is illustrated by applying it to study the effects of urbanization on stream–aquifer interactions in the Arroyo Colorado River Watershed along the US–Mexico border region. The results indicate that increased urbanization reduces the amount of influx into the banks. The reduction in flood passage time was noted to have a greater impact than the associated rise in stage. The presence of a semi-permeable barrier was seen to mask the effects of urbanization. The model results also implicitly highlight the importance of how water quality variations caused due to urbanization can affect stream–aquifer interactions.     

A refined garnet - biotite Fe−Mg exchange geothermometer and its application in amphibolites and granulites

A new formulation of garnet-biotite Fe–Mg exchange thermometer has been developed through statistical regression of the reversed experimental data of Ferry and Spear. Input parameters include available thermo-chemical data for quaternary Fe–Mg–Ca–Mn garnet solid solution and for excess free energy terms, associated with mixing of Al and Ti, in octahedral sites, in biotite solid solution. The regression indicates that Fe–Mg mixing in biotite approximates a symmetrical regular solution model showing positive deviation from ideality withW _FeMg ^bi =1073±490 cal/mol. H _r and S _r for the garnet-biotite exchange equilibrium were derived to be 4301 cal and 1.85 cal respectively. The resultant thermometer gives consistent results for rocks with a much wider compositional range than can be accommodated by earlier formulations.     

The application of diffusion–reaction mixed model to assess the best experimental conditions for bark chemical activation to improve copper(II) ions adsorption

Natural sorbents have been thoroughly assessed to determine their adsorption capabilities to remove pollutants from industrial wastewaters. Among them, pine bark has demonstrated potential for carrying out the removal of contaminants, particularly heavy metals, at the level of traces present in dissolved state. Nevertheless, to move towards the wastewater treatment implementation at large scale, the handling and processing requirements of pine bark to optimise the adsorption of heavy metals must be fully assessed. This research study presents a new mathematical model to evaluate the impact of acid pre-treatment of pine bark on heavy metals adsorption at different pine bark-aqueous solution pulp densities. A diffusion–reaction mixed model was developed and applied to the case study of copper(II) adsorption onto pine bark. The low binding energy inferred from analysing the adsorption isotherms suggested that a diffusive mechanism is governing the whole process. The mixed diffusion–reaction kinetic model indicated that the activation increases the rate at which metal ions are adsorbed, but it reduces the maximum achievable adsorption which in turn restricts its usefulness to relatively high pulp densities (above 10 g/L). The latter constitutes the first step towards optimising the use of bark pine for treating wastewater polluted with heavy metals and for establishing rules for scaling-up the process.     

Comments on the paper “The nature of “Svecofennian” zircon in the Belomorian Mobile Belt and some geological implications” by A.A. Shchipanskii and A.I. Slabunov

Eclogites were relatively recently found in the Belomorian Mobile Belt (BMB) (Volodichev et al., 2004; Shchipanskii et al., 2005; Konilov et al., 2004). The very first isotopic dates (Volodichev et al., 2004; Mints et al., 2010) were obtained for these rocks in the northwestern (in the Salma and Kuru-Vaara areas) and central (Gridino area) portions of BMB and corresponded to the Archean: approximately 2.72–2.87 Ga. Because no crustal eclogites older that 2.0 Ga (Möller et al., 1995) had been known before these dates were obtained, these eclogites were regarded as unique. It is commonly believed that no crustal eclogites could be formed in the Archean because the crust was then relatively thin (Kröner, 2010), and hence, the find of crustal eclogites of Archean age in BMB called for a fundamental revision of geodynamic reconstructions of the crustal evolution and was one of the main arguments invoked to support the hypothesis that currently operating geodynamic mechanisms of plate tectonic can be extrapolated to the Early Precambrian (Rozen et al., 2008). However, these finds were practically immediately followed by serious doubts that the primary estimates of the timing of the eclogite metamorphism in the Belomorian Belt may be incorrect (Mitrofanov et al., 2009; and others).