Effect of material anisotropy on the onset of convective flow in three-dimensional fluid-saturated faults

In order to investigate the effect of material anisotropy on convective instability of three-dimensional fluid-saturated faults, an exact analytical solution for the critical Rayleigh number of three-dimensional convective flow has been obtained. Using this critical Rayleigh number, effects of different permeability ratios and thermal conductivity ratios on convective instability of a vertically oriented three-dimensional fault have been examined in detail. It has been recognized that (1) if the fault material is isotropic in the horizontal direction, the horizontal to vertical permeability ratio has a significant effect on the critical Rayleigh number of the three-dimensional fault system, but the horizontal to vertical thermal conductivity ratio has little influence on the convective instability of the system, and (2) if the fault material is isotropic in the fault plane, the thermal conductivity ratio of the fault normal to plane has a considerable effect on the critical Rayleigh number of the three-dimensional fault system, but the effect of the permeability ratio of the fault normal to plane on the critical Rayleigh number of three-dimensional convective flow is negligible.

Magma Flow Instabilities in a Volcanic Conduit: Implications for Long-Period Seismicity

Silicic volcanic eruptions are typically accompanied by repetitive Long-Period (LP) seismicity that originates from a small region of the upper conduit. These signals have the capability to advance eruption prediction, since they commonly precede a change in the eruption vigour. Shear bands forming along the conduit wall, where the shear stresses are highest, have been linked to providing the seismic trigger. However, existing computational models are unable to generate shear bands at the depths where the LP signals originate using simple magma strength models. Presented here is a model in which the magma strength is determined from a constitutive relationship dependent upon crystallinity and pressure. This results in a depth-dependent magma strength, analogous to planetary lithospheres. Hence, in shallow highly-crystalline regions a macroscopically discontinuous brittle type of deformation will prevail, whilst in deeper crystal-poor regions there will be a macroscopically continuous plastic deformation mechanism. This will result in a depth where the brittle-ductile transition occurs, and here shear bands disconnected from the free-surface may develop. We utilize the Finite Element Method and use axi-symmetric coordinates to model magma flow as a viscoplastic material, simulating quasi-static shear bands along the walls of a volcanic conduit. Model results constrained to the Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, show the generation of two types of shear bands: upper-conduit shear bands that form between the free-surface to a few 100 metres below it and discrete shear bands that form at the depths where LP seismicity is measured to occur corresponding to the brittle-ductile transition and the plastic shear region. It is beyond the limitation of the model to simulate a seismic event, although the modelled viscosity within the discrete shear bands suggests a failure and healing cycle time that supports the observed LP seismicity repeat times. However, due to the paucity of data and large parameter space available these results can only be considered to be qualitative rather than quantitative at this stage.

Flow and axial dispersion simulation for traveling axisymmetric Taylor vortices

Numerical experiments using a finite difference method were carried out to determine the motion of axisymmetric Taylor vortices for narrow-gap Taylor vortex flow. When a pressure gradient is imposed on the flow the vortices are observed to move with an axial speed of 1.16 +/- 0.005 times the mean axial flow velocity. The method of Brenner was used to calculate the long-time axial spread of material in the flow. For flows where there is no pressure gradient, the axial dispersion scales with the square root of the molecular diffusion, in agreement with the results of Rosen-bluth et al. for high Peclet number dispersion in spatially periodic flows with a roll structure. When a pressure gradient is imposed the dispersion increases by an amount approximately equal to 6.5 x 10(-4) (W) over bar(2)d(2)/D-m, where (W) over bar is the average axial velocity in the annulus, analogous to Taylor dispersion for laminar flow in an empty tube.

Strain-dependent fluid flow defined through rock mass classification schemes

Strain-dependent hydraulic conductivities are uniquely defined by an environmental factor, representing applied normal and shear strains, combined with intrinsic material parameters representing mass and component deformation moduli, initial conductivities, and mass structure. The components representing mass moduli and structure are defined in terms of RQD (rock quality designation) and RMR (rock mass rating) to represent the response of a whole spectrum of rock masses, varying from highly fractured (crushed) rock to intact rock. These two empirical parameters determine the hydraulic response of a fractured medium to the induced-deformations The constitutive relations are verified against available published data and applied to study one-dimensional, strain-dependent fluid flow. Analytical results indicate that both normal and shear strains exert a significant influence on the processes of fluid flow and that the magnitude of this influence is regulated by the values of RQD and RMR.

Numerical modelling of double diffusion driven reactive flow transport in deformable fluid-saturated porous media with particular consideration of temperature-dependent chemical reaction rates

Numerical methods ave used to solve double diffusion driven reactive flow transport problems in deformable fluid-saturated porous media. in particular, thp temperature dependent reaction rate in the non-equilibrium chemical reactions is considered. A general numerical solution method, which is a combination of the finite difference method in FLAG and the finite element method in FIDAP, to solve the fully coupled problem involving material deformation, pore-fluid flow, heat transfer and species transport/chemical reactions in deformable fluid-saturated porous media has been developed The coupled problem is divided into two subproblems which are solved interactively until the convergence requirement is met. Owing to the approximate nature of the numerical method, if is essential to justify the numerical solutions through some kind of theoretical analysis. This has been highlighted in this paper The related numerical results, which are justified by the theoretical analysis, have demonstrated that the proposed solution method is useful for and applicable to a wide range of fully coupled problems in the field of science and engineering.

Numerical evaluation of three dimensional effects in planar flow birefringence

The influence of three dimensional effects on isochromatic birefringence is evaluated for planar flows by means of numerical simulation. Two fluid models are investigated in channel and abrupt contraction geometries. In practice, the flows are confined by viewing windows, which alter the stresses along the optical path. The observed optical properties differ therefore from their counterpart in an ideal two-dimensional flow. To investigate the influence of these effects, the stress optical rule and the differential propagation Mueller matrix are used. The material parameters are selected so that a retardation of multiple orders is achieved, as is typical for highly birefringent melts. Errors due to three dimensional effects are mainly found on the symmetry plane, and increase significantly with the flow rate. Increasing the geometric aspect ratio improve the accuracy provided that the error on the retardation is less than one order. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The genetic structure of Australian populations of Mycosphaerella musicola suggests restricted gene flow at the continental scale

Mycosphaerello musicolo causes Sigatoka disease of banana and is endemic to Australia. The population genetic structure of M. musicola in Australia was examined by applying single-copy restriction fragment length polymorphism probes to hierarchically sampled populations collected along the Australian cast coast. The 363 isolates studied were from 16 plantations at 12 sites in four different regions, and comprised 11 populations. These populations displayed moderate levels of gene diversity (H = 0.142 to 0.369) and similar levels of genotypic richness and evenness. Populations were dominated by unique genotypes, but isolates sharing the same genotype (putative clones) were detected. Genotype distribution was highly localized within each population, and the majority of putative clones were detected for isolates sampled from different sporodochia in the same lesion or different lesions on a plant. Multilocus gametic disequilibrium tests provided further evidence of a degree of clonality within the populations at the plant scale. A complex pattern of population differentiation was detected for M. musicola in Australia. Populations sampled from plantations outside the two major production areas were genetically very different to all other populations. Differentiation was much lower between populations of the two major production areas, despite their geographic separation of over 1,000 km. These results suggest low gene flow at the continental scale due to limited spore dispersal and the movement of infected plant material.

Numerical Study of Hypersonic Leeward Flow over a Blunt Nosed Delta Wing

A kinetic theory based Navier-Stokes solver has been implemented on a parallel supercomputer (Intel iPSC Touchstone Delta) to study the leeward flowfield of a blunt nosed delta wing at 30-deg incidence at hypersonic speeds (similar to the proposed HERMES aerospace plane). Computational results are presented for a series of grids for both inviscid and laminar viscous flows at Reynolds numbers of 225,000 and 2.25 million. In addition, comparisons are made between the present and two independent calculations of the some flows (by L. LeToullec and P. Guillen, and S. Menne) which were presented at the Workshop on Hypersonic Flows for Re-entry Problems, Antibes, France, 1991.

Water Flow Through the Gills of Port Jackson Sharks

Evidence is presented for the existence of a countercurrent flow between water and blood at the respiratory surfaces of the Port Jackson shark gill.

Bubbly Flow Structure in Hydraulic Jump

In an open channel, a hydraulic jump is the rapid transition from super- to sub-critical flow associated with strong turbulence and air bubble entrainment in the mixing layer. New experiments were performed at relatively large Reynolds numbers using phase-detection probes. Some new signal analysis provided characteristic air-water time and length scales of the vortical structures advecting the air bubbles in the developing shear flow. An analysis of the longitudinal air-water flow structure suggested little bubble clustering in the mixing layer, although an interparticle arrival time analysis showed some preferential bubble clustering for small bubbles with chord times below 3 ms. Correlation analyses yielded longitudinal air-water time scales Txx*V1/d1 of about 0.8 in average. The transverse integral length scale Z/d1 of the eddies advecting entrained bubbles was typically between 0.25 and 0.4, irrespective of the inflow conditions within the range of the investigations. Overall the findings highlighted the complicated nature of the air-water flow

Correlation of habitual physical activity levels with flow mediated dilation of the brachial artery in 5-10 year old children

Endothelial dysfunction is an early key event of atherogenesis. Both fitness level and exercise intervention have been shown to positively influence endothelial function. In a cross-sectional study of 47 children, the relationship between habitual physical activity and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery was explored. Habitual physical activity levels (PALs) were assessed using a validated stable isotope technique, and FMD of the brachial artery was measured via high-resolution ultrasound. The results showed that habitual physical activity significantly correlated with FMD (r=0.39, P=0.007), and remained the most influential variable on dilation in multivariate analysis. Although both fitness level and exercise intervention have previously been shown to positively influence FMD, this is the first time that a relationship with normal PALs has been investigated, especially, at such a young age. These data support the concept that physical activity exerts its protective effect on cardiovascular health via the endothelium and add further emphasis to the importance of physical activity in childhood.

Effects of temperature-dependent viscosity variation on entropy generation, heat and fluid flow through a porous-saturated duct of rectangular cross-section

Effect of temperature-dependent viscosity on fully developed forced convection in a duct of rectangular cross-section occupied by a fluid-saturated porous medium is investigated analytically. The Darcy flow model is applied and the viscosity-temperature relation is assumed to be an inverse-linear one. The case of uniform heat flux on the walls, i.e. the H boundary condition in the terminology of Kays and Crawford, is treated. For the case of a fluid whose viscosity decreases with temperature, it is found that the effect of the variation is to increase the Nusselt number for heated walls. Having found the velocity and the temperature distribution, the second law of thermodynamics is invoked to find the local and average entropy generation rate. Expressions for the entropy generation rate, the Bejan number, the heat transfer irreversibility, and the fluid flow irreversibility are presented in terms of the Brinkman number, the Péclet number, the viscosity variation number, the dimensionless wall heat flux, and the aspect ratio (width to height ratio). These expressions let a parametric study of the problem based on which it is observed that the entropy generated due to flow in a duct of square cross-section is more than those of rectangular counterparts while increasing the aspect ratio decreases the entropy generation rate similar to what previously reported for the clear flow case.

Assessing flow in physical activity: The Flow State Scale-2 and Dispositional Flow Scale-2

The Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2) and Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (DFS-2) are presented as two self-report instruments designed to assess flow experiences in physical activity. Item modifications were made to the original versions of these scales in order to improve the measurement of some of the flow dimensions. Confirmatory factor analyses of an item identification and a cross-validation sample demonstrated a good fit of the new scales. There was support for both a 9-first-order factor model and a higher order model with a global flow factor. The item identification sample yielded mean item loadings on the first-order factor of .78 for the FSS-2 and .77 for the DFS-2. Reliability estimates ranged from .80 to .90 for the FSS-2, and .81 to .90 for the DFS-2. In the cross-validation sample, mean item loadings on the first-order factor were .80 for the FSS-2, and .73 for the DFS-2. Reliability estimates ranged between .80 to .92 for the FSS-2 and .78 to .86 for the DFS-2. The scales are presented as ways of assessing flow experienced within a particular event (FSS-2) or the frequency of flow experiences in chosen physical activity in general (DFS-2).