Marker-and-cell and Chorin finite difference modeling for fluid flow in a single fracture

It is important to set up a detailed dynamic model of the fluid flow through fractures for understanding many fluid processes in Earth sciences. Numerical simulation is a popular tool for exploring these processes. The objective of this study is to understand fluid flow in fractures. Contrary to the conventional macro-scale modeling approach, micro-scale simulation is carried out. The Navior-Stokes equation solver was developed by a staggered marker-and-cell and the Chorin pressure iterating finite difference approach. We analyze the effects of the Reynolds number and the frequency of pressure fluctuations on flow mainly through visualization. A significant result is that the effect of pressure fluctuation-induced fluid flow can be observed in a broader frequency range. The peak velocity shifts along the spatial axis depending upon the frequency of the pressure fluctuation. An effective frequency band of the pressure fluctuation was identified which dominates dynamic behavior of the flow. Another major finding is that there exits a critical frequency of the pressure fluctuation which controls approximately the flow dynamic behavior. We conclude that it is only possible to estimate the flow behavior from pressure fluctuation, if effective frequency range is properly accounted for.