Practical implementation of the fractional flow approach to multi-phase flow simulation

Fractional flow formulations of the multi-phase flow equations exhibit several attractive attributes for numerical simulations. The governing equations are a saturation equation having an advection diffusion form, for which characteristic methods are suited, and a global pressure equation whose form is elliptic. The fractional flow approach to the governing equations is compared with other approaches and the implication of equation form for numerical methods discussed. The fractional flow equations are solved with a modified method of characteristics for the saturation equation and a finite element method for the pressure equation. An iterative algorithm for determination of the general boundary conditions is implemented. Comparisons are made with a numerical method based on the two-pressure formulation of the governing equations. While the fractional flow approach is attractive for model problems, the performance of numerical methods based on these equations is relatively poor when the method is applied to general boundary conditions. We expect similar difficulties with the fractional flow approach for more general problems involving heterogenous material properties and multiple spatial dimensions.     

REFLECTION OF ELASTIC WAVES FROM PERIODICALLY STRATIFIED MEDIA WITH INTERFACIAL SLIP*

A periodically stratified elastic medium can be replaced by an equivalent homogeneous transverse isotropic medium in the long wavelength limit. The case of a homogeneous medium with equally spaced parallel interfaces along which there is imperfect bonding is a special instance of such a medium. Slowness surfaces are derived for all plane wave modes through the equivalent medium and reflection coefficients for a half-space of such a medium are found. The slowness surface for the SH mode is an ellipsoid. The exact solution for the reflection of SH-waves from a half-space with parallel slip interfaces is found following the matrix method of K. Gilbert applied to elastic waves. Explicit results are derived and in the long wavelength limit, shown to approach the results for waves in the equivalent homogeneous medium. Under certain conditions, a half-space of a medium with parallel slip interfaces has a reflection coefficient independent of the angle of incidence and thus acts like an acoustic reducing mirror. The method for the reflection of P- and SV-waves is fully outlined, and reflection coefficients are shown for a particular example. The solution requires finding the eigenvalues of a 4 × 4 transfer matrix, each eigenvalue being associated with a particular wave. At higher frequencies, unexpected eigenvalues are found corresponding to refracted waves for which shear and compressional parameters are completely coupled. The two eigenvalues corresponding to the transmitted wavefield give amplitude decay perpendicular to the stratification along with up- and downgoing phase propagation in some other direction. Much of this work was performed while the author was at the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Israel. The author is grateful for illuminating discussions with K. Helbig and K. Gilbert.     

A semi-analytical model in time domain for moving loads

A model for investigations of ground motions due to continuously moving loads with constant and time-varying amplitudes is presented. The vertical displacements excited by moving load areas are obtained at a fixed observation point at the surface of the three-dimensional halfspace in time domain. The load is moving along a straight line with constant speed. To solve this nonaxisymmetric, initial boundary value problem a semi-analytical, discretized model is developed. It is based on Green's functions for a suddenly applied, stationary surface point load with Heaviside time dependency. These functions, also called influence functions of the halfspace, are valid for any homogeneous, isotropic and linear-elastic medium. The principle of superposition is used. Results are shown for the transient and the steady-state ground motions, and they are compared with analytical solutions. The load speed is varied in the subcritical range up to the propagation velocity of Rayleigh-waves.     

The perturbation of geomagnetic fields by two-dimensional and three-dimensional conductivity inhomogeneities

Summary A numerical method is used to calculate the geomagnetic fields associated with a three-dimensional conductivity anomaly. Fields associated with a two-dimensional model are also studied numerically for a range of frequencies and apparent resistivity curves for the two models are compared with that calculated for a layered earth. The apparent resistivity curves for both the three-dimensional model and the two-dimensional model differ considerably from the layered case, and it is evident that if a layered model is used for interpretation the results may be very misleading.     

Determination of GMPE functional form for an active region with limited strong motion data: application to the Himalayan region

Advancement in the seismic networks results in formulation of different functional forms for developing any new ground motion prediction equation (GMPE) for a region. Till date, various guidelines and tools are available for selecting a suitable GMPE for any seismic study area. However, these methods are efficient in quantifying the GMPE but not for determining a proper functional form and capturing the epistemic uncertainty associated with selection of GMPE. In this study, the compatibility of the recent available functional forms for the active region is tested for distance and magnitude scaling. Analysis is carried out by determining the residuals using the recorded and the predicted spectral acceleration values at different periods. Mixed effect regressions are performed on the calculated residuals for determining the intra- and interevent residuals. Additionally, spatial correlation is used in mixed effect regression by changing its likelihood function. Distance scaling and magnitude scaling are respectively examined by studying the trends of intraevent residuals with distance and the trend of the event term with magnitude. Further, these trends are statistically studied for a respective functional form of a ground motion. Additionally, genetic algorithm and Monte Carlo method are used respectively for calculating the hinge point and standard error for magnitude and distance scaling for a newly determined functional form. The whole procedure is applied and tested for the available strong motion data for the Himalayan region. The functional form used for testing are five Himalayan GMPEs, five GMPEs developed under NGA-West 2 project, two from Pan-European, and one from Japan region. It is observed that bilinear functional form with magnitude and distance hinged at 6.5 M _w and 300 km respectively is suitable for the Himalayan region. Finally, a new regression coefficient for peak ground acceleration for a suitable functional form that governs the attenuation characteristic of the Himalayan region is derived.     

Internal waves in a rotating stratified fluid in an arbitrary gravitational field

Abstract

Small amplitude oscillations of a uniformly rotating, density stratified, Boussinesq, non-dissipative fluid are examined. A mathematical model is constructed to describe timedependent motions which are small deviations from an initial state that is motionless with respect to the rotating frame of reference. The basic stable density distribution is allowed to be an arbitrary prescribed function of the gravitational potential. The problem is considered for a wide class of gravitational fields. General properties of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of square integrable oscillations are demonstrated, and a bound is obtained for the magnitude of the frequencies. The modal solutions are classified as to type. The eigenfunctions for the pressure field are shown to satisfy a second-order partial differential equation of mixed type, and the equation is obtained for the critical surfaces which delineate the elliptic and hyperbolic regions. The nature of the problem is examined in detail for certain specific gravitational fields, e.g., a radially symmetric field. Where appropriate, results are compared with those of other investigations of waves in a rotating fluid of spherical configuration and the novel aspects of the present treatment are emphasized. Explicit modal solutions are obtained in the specific example of a fluid contained in a rigid cylinder, stratified in the presence of vertical gravity, with the buoyancy frequency N being an arbitrary prescribed function of depth.     

Rainfall modelling using Poisson-cluster processes: a review of developments

 Over a decade ago, point rainfall models based upon Poisson cluster processes were developed by Rodriguez-Iturbe, Cox and Isham. Two types of point process models were envisaged: the Bartlett–Lewis and the Neyman–Scott rectangular pulse models. Recent developments are reviewed here, including a number of empirical studies. The parameter estimation problem is addressed for both types of Poisson-cluster based models. The multiplicity of parameters which can be obtained for a given data set using the method of moments is illustrated and two approaches to finding a best set of parameters are presented. The use of a proper fitting method will allow for the problems encountered in regionalisation to be adequately dealt with. Applications of the point process model to flood design are discussed and finally, results for a model with dependent cell depth and duration are given. Taking into account the spatial features of rainfall, three multi-site models are presented and compared. They are all governed by a master Poisson process of storm origins and have a number of cell origins associated with each storm origin. The three models differ as to the type of dependence structure between the cell characteristics at different sites. Analytical properties are presented for these models and their ability to represent the spatial structure of a set of raingauge data in the South-West of England is examined. Continuous spatial-temporal models are currently being developed and results are presented for a model in which storm centres arrive in a homogeneous Poisson process in space-time, and cells follow them in time according to a Bartlett–Lewis type cluster. Examples of simulations using this model are shown and compared with radar data from the South-West of England. The paper concludes with a summary of the main areas in which further research is required.     

Influence of ground motion intensity on the effectiveness of tuned mass dampers

The effectiveness of Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD) on buildings subjected to moderate and high-intensity motions is analysed. First, the response of a 22-storey four-bay reinforced concrete non-linear frame with a TMD is studied for motions with different intensities. Several values of the relevant parameters are assumed in the analyses. Then, equivalent single-degree-of-freedom systems with TMDs and without them are defined and analysed under the action of ground motions with intensities associated with different return intervals at the site where the structures are located. Vulnerability curves for the systems are obtained based on the probabilities of reaching two different performance limit states. The expected annual rate of exceedance of each limit state is calculated. The results show that the effectiveness of TMDs is higher for systems with small non-linearity produced by small and moderate earthquakes, than for systems with high non-linear behaviour, generally associated with high-intensity motions. Some recommendations about the applicability of TMD are given. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

The perturbation of alternating geomagnetic fields by discontinuities with high conductivity contrasts

The perturbation of alternating geomagnetic fields by conductivity discontinuities is considered. A numerical method is used to solve the two-dimensional induction problem. Models in which the conductivity contrast between conductive regions is great, such as between oceanic and continental regions, are considered. The perturbation field distributions for models with higher conductivity contrasts are compared with lower conductivity contrast models using a method recently developed by Jones (1972). Total field solutions are obtained for several models by using a very large grid as well as a folding-in technique. Results from the two methods for the various models are compared. It is found that the folding-in technique offers an alternative method for handling higher conductivity contrasts.     

Clasmatic seismodynamics—Oxymoron or pleonasm?

Clasmatic means fractional in a physical and a mathematical sense, seismic means shaking. Truncated Lévy-processes and related fractional differential equations are introduced by means of statistics and balances. Isoclasmatic balance equations are proposed for sand samples, they imply energy-based hypoplastic and hypoelastic relations for the subcritical range and can be extended for rock. Balances of conserved and not conserved quantities with isoclasmatic distributions in spacetime are represented by coupled partial fractional differential equations, these can be transformed into classical balance equations for the subcritical range. Micro-seismic power-law spectra of sand are obtained with a fractional Schrödinger equation, its extension for polar effects and rock is indicated. Critical phenomena beyond the verge of energetic convexity are related with a degeneration of the fractional wave propagation. Due to them the lithosphere is polyclasmatic. Focussing on qualitative aspects, we show that clasmatic seismodynamics is no oxymoron, but rather a pleonasm and a promising new paradigm.     

RAPID COMPUTATION OF THE GRAVITATION ATTRACTION OF TOPOGRAPHY ON A SPHERICAL EARTH*

A brief review of the existing methods of gravity reduction is given and a new method suitable for use on high speed digital computers is described. The method is based on the formula for the gravitational attraction of a frustum of a cone. The topographic contours are represented by polygons and the x and y coordinates of corners of the polygons constitute the input to the computer. The vertical component of the gravitational attraction is calculated by evaluating the cone formula for a number of vertical sections of the topography. Each vertical section is simplified by adopting a procedure of grouping and averaging for the distant points of the section. The effect of the earth's sphericity is taken into account by lowering the distant points of the sections by amounts determined by the curvature. The computations include the area close to the point at which the attraction is required and may be limited to an area defined by a circle centered at this point. The method is therefore compatible with the conventional zone chart methods. As an illustration of the method the gravitational attraction of Caryn Seamount in the Atlantic Ocean is computed. The total Bouguer correction and the Terrain correction are also computed for an area in northwestern South America and comparisons are made with hand computations by a zone chart method. As an example, for work at sea, the Bouguer corrections for an area near the Island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean are computed and the effects of sphericity and three-dimensionality are calculated. The gravitational attraction of two-dimensional bodies can be computed in a very similar manner. The attraction of the Puerto Rico Trench model is computed and the results are compared with other methods. The effects of sphericity and assumptions involved in extending the models to infinity are discussed.     

Efficiency of trenches along railways for trains moving at sub- or supersonic speeds

A full 3D analytical approach is adopted to account for trenches on one or both sides close to a railroad. Low-frequency ground vibrations are investigated due to the passing of trains, and open trenches are used as wave barriers. The modelling technique is based on Fourier transforms and Fourier series. The ground is modelled as a layered semi-infinite domain and the embankment with finite layers. The trenches are obtained by simulating the upper surface layer with two or three finite rectangular regions with appropriate widths. A particular boundary condition is adopted at the vertical sides of all finite regions to enable the solution procedure. Rails and sleepers are accounted for with Euler–Bernoulli beams and an anisotropic Kirchhoff plate with transversal isotropy. The wheel loads from the boogie wheel pairs of the train are simulated as moving forces. Hence, no irregularities in rails or wheels are accounted for.     

Correlation and covariance of runoff

The application of objective methods for interpolation of stochastic fields is based on the assumption of homogeneity with respect to the correlation function, i.e. only the relative distance between two points is of importance. This is not the case for runoff data which is demonstrated in this paper. Taking into consideration the structure of the river network and the related drainage basin supporting areas theoretical expressions are derived for the correlation function for flow along a river from its outlet and upstream. The results are exact for a rectangular drainage basin. For more complex basin geometry a grid approximation is suggested. The found relations are demonstrated on a real world example with a good agreement between the theoretically calculated correlation functions and empirical data.     

Validation of new equations for dynamic analyses of tall frame-type structures

The accuracy of the new equations for long frame-type structures, derived by Kerr and Zarembski, and extended recently by Kerr and Accorsi also to dynamic analyses, is investigated. At first, the natural frequencies of a tall frame-type structure, with twenty floors, are determined using the new equations, and then they are compared with the corresponding results calculated using the finite element method and the common shear-building analysis. The found agreement with the finite element analysis is close. To check further the accuracy of the new equations, small scale models are tested on a shake table. The natural frequencies recorded in the tests are then compared with those determined from the new equations, for a wide range of geometrical parameters. The agreement with the test data is good. The presented study indicates that the new equations are well suited for analyzing the dynamic response of tall frame-type structures.     

Effect of the oceanic lithosphere velocity on free convection in the asthenosphere beneath mid-ocean ridges

The paper presents results obtained in experiments on a horizontal layer heated from below in its central part and cooled from above; the layer models the oceanic asthenosphere. Flow velocity and temperature profiles are measured and the flow structure under boundary layer conditions is determined (at Rayleigh numbers Ra > 5 × 10⁵). The flow in the core of a plane horizontal layer heated laterally and cooled from above develops under conditions of a constant temperature gradient averaged over the layer thickness. The flow core is modeled by a horizontal layer with a moving upper boundary and with adiabatic bounding surfaces under conditions of a constant horizontal gradient of temperature. Exact solutions of free convection equations are found for this model in the Boussinesq approximation. Model results are compared with experimental data. Temperature and flow velocity ranges are determined for the boundary layer regime. Based on the experimental flow velocity profiles, an expression is found for the flow velocity profile in a horizontal layer with a mobile upper boundary heated laterally and cooled from above. Free convection velocity profiles are obtained for the asthenosphere beneath a mid-ocean ridge (MOR) with a mobile lithosphere. An expression is obtained for the tangential stress at the top of the asthenosphere beneath an MOR and the total friction force produced by the asthenospheric flow at the asthenosphere-lithosphere boundary is determined.     

Love wave dispersion: A comparison of results for a semi-infinite medium with inhomogeneous layers and for its approximation by homogeneous layers

Love wave dispersion in various semi-infinite media consisting of inhomogeneous layers is discussed. The phase and group velocities are computed when shear wave velocity and density in each inhomogeneous layer are varying exponentially with depth. At the beginning one or two inhomogeneous layers over a homogeneous semi-infinite medium are considered. The dispersion results for these structures are compared with those for their approximations with homogeneous layers. Comparisons show that differences of phase and group velocities for the original models from those for their approximated models (i) increase with the increase of wave number and (ii) are larger for group velocity than for phase velocity. The difference is approximately proportional to the rate of change of parameters in the layers. Finally, dispersion curves are obtained for model IP3MC, which consists of many inhomogeneous and homogeneous layers over a homogeneous semi-infinite medium. The results are compared with the observed group velocity data across the Indian Peninsula.     

Magnetotelluric responses of three-dimensional conductive and magnetic anisotropic anomalies

A magnetotelluric finite-element modelling algorithm is developed, which is capable of handling three-dimensional conductive and magnetic anisotropic anomalies. Different from earlier three-dimensional magnetotelluric anisotropic modelling methods, the algorithm we presented has taken the magnetic anisotropy into consideration. The variational equations are produced by the Galerkin method and the governing equations are solved using a hexahedral vector edge finite-element method. The accuracy of this algorithm is firstly validated by comparing its solutions with the results of finite-difference method for a three-dimensional conductive arbitrary anisotropic model, and then validated by comparing with analytical solutions for a one-dimensional magnetic model. The responses of four kinds of models under different conditions are studied, and some conclusions are obtained. It shows that for materials with a high magnetic permeability, its influence on magnetotelluric responses cannot be ignored in some circumstances. Especially, if the magnetic susceptibility is exceptionally high, it may really distort the apparent resistivities of lower resistive anomalies. These conclusions are also beneficial for magnetotelluric survey.     

A general mixing equation with applications to Icelandic basalts

The mixing equation applied by Vollmer [1] to Pb and Sr isotope ratios is shown to be a general equation applicable to consideration of element and isotope ratios. The mixing equation is hyperbolic and has the form:Ax + Bxy + Cy + D = 0where the coefficients are dependent on the type of plot considered: i.e. ratio-ratio, ratio-element, or element-element. Careful use of this equation permits testing whether mixing is a viable process, places constraints on end member compositions, allows distinction between mixing of sources and mixing of magmas, and should allow distinction between recent mixing and long-term evolution of sources.The available chemical data for postglacial basalts from Iceland and along the Reykjanes Ridge are not consistent with either mixing of magmas or simple mixing of an enriched ocean island source with a depleted ocean ridge source. If the available analyses for basalts are representative of the source regions, the data are consistent with at least two models neither of which can be properly tested with the available data.(1) There are two separate mixing trends: one beneath Iceland with the alkali basalt source and a depleted Iceland source as end members; the second along the Reykjanes Ridge with a heterogeneous ocean ridge basalt source and a source similar to that for intermediate basalts on Iceland as end members. The depleted Iceland source and the depleted ocean ridge source are not the same.(2) The chemistry of the basalts is not determined by mixing. Instead the basalts are derived from a multiplicity of sources with a similar history which have been isolated for hundreds of millions of years.     

Analytical approximations for flow in compressible,saturated, one-dimensional porous media

A nonlinear model for single-phase fluid flow in slightly compressible porous media is presented and solved approximately. The model assumes state equations for density, porosity, viscosity and permeability that are exponential functions of the fluid (either gas or liquid) pressure. The governing equation is transformed into a nonlinear diffusion equation. It is solved for a semi-infinite domain for either constant pressure or constant flux boundary conditions at the surface. The solutions obtained, although approximate, are extremely accurate as demonstrated by comparisons with numerical results. Predictions for the surface pressure resulting from a constant flux into a porous medium are compared with published experimental data.     

The role of mean circulation in parity selection by planetary magnetic fields

Abstract

The kinematic dynamo problem is considered for certain steady velocity fields with symmetries that are plausible in a rapidly rotating convective system. By generalizing results proved for the mean field dynamo model by Proctor (1977a), it is shown that for a related “comparison problem” with modified boundary conditions, the eigenvalues are degenerate if there is no axisymmetric mean circulation, with modes of dipole and quadrupole parity excited with equal ease. The comparison problem can be shown to be closely similar to the dynamo problem when there is a region unfavourable to dynamo action surrounding the dynamo region. The near-symmetries found by Roberts (1972) for the mean field model are invoked to suggest that a close correspondence is likely even when this region is absent. It is therefore conjectured that such mean motions may be important in explaining the observed preference for solutions of dipole parity by planetary dynamos.