Hawaii Geothermal Project: Buoyancy Induced Flows in a Saturated Porous Medium Adjacent to Impermeable Horizontal Surfaces

Abstract

Boundary-layer analysis is performed for the buoyancy-induced flows in a saturated porous medium adjacent to horizontal impermeable surfaces. Similarity solutions are obtained for the convective flow above a heated surface or below a cooled surface, where wall temperature is a power function of distance from the origin. Analytical expressions for boundary layer thickness, local and overall surface heat flux are obtained. Applications to convective flow in a liquid-dominated geothermal reservoir are discussed.