Collaborative Research: Modeling Coupled Reactive Flow at the TAG Active Hydrothermal Mound

合作研究：模拟 TAG 活跃热液丘的耦合反应流

• 批准号: 1029290
• 负责人: Margaret Tivey
• 金额: $ 12.17万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-08-15 至 2015-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1029290&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Modeling; Coupled; Reactive

From their first discovery in the late 1970's, seafloor hydrothermal vent systems have been an intensive area of study in terms of characterizing the chemistry of their fluids, the biology that thrives around them, and the unique chimney structures that grow from the minerals precipitating from the fluids coming out of the seafloor. Predicting sub-seafloor fluid flow pathways and the dynamics of how these systems operate and evolve in the subsurface, however, still remains elusive due the paucity of holistic mathematical models of the chemical and physical processes that drive these systems. This research develops 2-D and 3-D mathematical models of fluid flow and reactive transport in high temperature mid-ocean ridge seafloor hydrothermal systems. Resulting models take into account mineral dissolution and precipitation and how these change basement permeability, fluid flow, and flow pathways. Goals are to test various hypotheses about what controls the distribution of focused and diffuse flow in high temperature seafloor hydrothermal systems, the extent of mineral precipitation, and the thermal/chemical conditions in the subsurface. The RST2D software package and modifications to it will be used to model the systems. The codes will permit fully-coupled reactive-flow investigations to be carried out which can examine the sensitivity of mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal vent systems to crustal structure, permeability, thermal conductivity, chemical dispersivity, and other geologic variables. Broader impacts of the work include integration of research and education and training graduate students in computational geoscience. Software that will be created during the course of the project builds infrastructure for science and has crossover potential to other fields, such as geothermal energy production and ore deposits. It will be made publicly available over the web. Results of the project will be presented to the public via lectures by participating faculty. The project will also support a PI from a gender under-represented in the sciences.

自20世纪70年代末首次被发现以来，海底热液喷口系统一直是研究的重点领域，研究内容包括流体的化学性质、在其周围生长的生物，以及从海底流出的流体中沉淀出的矿物质形成的独特烟囱结构。然而，由于缺乏驱动这些系统的化学和物理过程的整体数学模型，预测海底流体流动路径以及这些系统在地下如何运行和演化的动力学仍然是难以捉摸的。本研究建立了高温洋中脊海底热液系统流体流动和反应输运的二维和三维数学模型。由此产生的模型考虑了矿物溶解和沉淀，以及它们如何改变基底渗透率、流体流动和流动路径。目标是测试各种关于控制高温海底热液系统中集中和扩散流动分布的假设，矿物沉淀的程度以及地下的热/化学条件。RST2D软件包及其修改将用于系统建模。这些规范将允许进行完全耦合的反应流调查，可以检查大洋中脊热液喷口系统对地壳结构、渗透率、导热性、化学分散性和其他地质变量的敏感性。这项工作的更广泛的影响包括研究和教育的整合，以及培养计算地球科学的研究生。在该项目过程中将创建的软件为科学建设基础设施，并具有与其他领域交叉的潜力，如地热能生产和矿床。它将在网上公开发布。该项目的结果将由参与的教师通过讲座向公众展示。该项目还将支持一名科学领域性别代表性不足的PI。