Berlin 2024 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik

DY 32: Poster: Active Matter, Soft Matter, Fluids

DY 32.23: Poster

Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 15:00–18:00, Poster C

Deep geothermal fluid flow in complex confinements — •Carola M. Buness, Fabian Nitschke, and Thomas Kohl — Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany

Deep geothermal projects often reach into hard rocks with low permeability. In these rock formations, the geothermal fluid flows through fracture voids, whose surface roughness varies significantly depending on the type of rock. The complex geometry of the fracture void plays a crucial role in the fluid dynamics as well as the flow rate, which depends highly on the distance to the borehole. However, the detailed description of roughness and fluid dynamics within fractures remains an open research challenge. Since these fluid dynamics define the fracture pressure field, understanding them is one key for the safe operation of deep geothermal power plants in low-porous rock formations. To address this issue, we investigate the fluid dynamics experimentally and numerically in various rough confinements. We measure and analyze the rock surface roughness of different rocks to identify the most appropriate parameters to describe the roughness. Utilizing these parameters, we are recreating rough surfaces to investigate the fluid dynamics within flow-through experiments across a broad range of flow rates, spanning from laminar flow (Re << 1) to intermediate flow regimes (Re > 1). The research aims to investigate the onset of non-laminar flow and its associated rapid increase in the pressure gradient depending on the wall roughness.