Two-layer flow during extraction through a point sink in a porous medium
摘要
Withdrawal into a point sink in a porous medium of a fluid that is layered in density, where both fluid layers are drawn into the outlet, is examined. The porous medium has finite vertical extent, but is infinite horizontally. These problems present a complex mathematical challenge due to the unknown interface shape and the singularity at the sink. By employing a spectral method, it is possible to remove the singularity and obtain numerical solutions, including two exact solutions: one where the sink is positioned at the initial interface height, and another in the limit of large flow rates. For all other flow rates, numerical solutions are obtained. Our results show that as the sink moves away from the initial height of the interface, the critical flow rate required to induce coning, and hence two-layer flow, increases significantly, aligning with the behaviour observed in single-layer, non-porous media flow dynamics.