Theoretical Analysis of Forced Convective Heat Transfer in Regional Ground-Water Flow

Research Article| December 01, 1973 Theoretical Analysis of Forced Convective Heat Transfer in Regional Ground-Water Flow P. A. DOMENICO; P. A. DOMENICO 1Department of Geology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar V. V. PALCIAUSKAS V. V. PALCIAUSKAS 1Department of Geology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information P. A. DOMENICO 1Department of Geology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 V. V. PALCIAUSKAS 1Department of Geology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1973) 84 (12): 3803–3814. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1973)84<3803:TAOFCH>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation P. A. DOMENICO, V. V. PALCIAUSKAS; Theoretical Analysis of Forced Convective Heat Transfer in Regional Ground-Water Flow. GSA Bulletin 1973;; 84 (12): 3803–3814. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1973)84<3803:TAOFCH>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Among the numerous processes that will cause anomalous temperature distributions in geologic basins is the spatial redistribution of heat by moving ground water. This problem is examined by solving the energy equation for the simultaneous transport of water by hydraulic gradients and heat by forced convection. The factors that affect the temperature distribution in a given basin include the intrinsic properties of the medium and contained fluid—namely, the thermal diffusivity of the solid-fluid complex and the hydraulic conductivity, the water-table configuration, and the ratio of basin depth to basin length. The severity of an anomalous geothermal gradient or temperature measurement depends primarily on the relative magnitude of the ratio of hydraulic conductivity to thermal diffusivity, and on the geometry of the flow field. A dimensionless group may be formulated from these parameters, and provides a relative measure of the simultaneous transport of heat by the bulk motion of the fluid to that by pure conduction. Solutions to the equation itself indicate that convective heat losses in ground-water recharge areas are balanced by convective heat gains in discharge areas. The geothermal gradient accordingly increases with increasing depth in recharge areas, decreases with increasing depth in discharge areas, and is a manifestation of pure conduction at the hinge line separating areas of recharge and discharge. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.