Seminar - Guillermo Narsilio - Hydraulic and thermal conduction phenomena in soils at the particle-scale - Proof of Principle: 3D imaging and FEM simulations

Monday 17 August 2009, 2.00 pm - 2.45 pm
Civil Engineering Lecture Theatre 2

The School of Civil Engineering is pleased to welcome Guillermo A. Narsilio, from the University of Melbourne.

Abstract:
Advanced measurement technologies, including MRI and micro-CT scanning, have revolutionised the medical field. However, such technologies also have huge potential in other fields, and such applications have not yet been fully explored. We seek to develop an innovative method to characterise conduction properties in soils at the particle-scale. The technique is exemplified using glass bead and 3D synthetic grain packings (DEM). State-of-the-art X-ray computer assisted micro-tomography and synthetic 3D granular images are then imported to the finite element analyses to solve the governing partial differential equations of hydraulic and thermal conduction. Navier-Stokes equation is uniquely upscaled to Darcy' law to assess hydraulic conductivity in soils, while a similar approach uses the Fourier equation to evaluate thermal conduction through grain chains and pore network. High performance computing is implemented to meet demanding numerical calculations of 3D meshed geometries. Packing density and inter-particle contact areas are explored as variables to highlight the effects of pore volume and inter-particle contact condition in hydraulic and thermal conduction. Laboratory measurements of hydraulic and thermal conductivities support the numerically obtained results and validate the viability of new methods used herein. This study introduces a revolutionary way to determine physical parameters of soils using emerging technology of imaging integrated with rigorous numerical simulations; and enable fundamental observation of particle-scale mechanisms of macro-scale manifestation, highlighting the importance of pore (and skeleton) connectivity in soil transport properties.

A brief overview of past and current porous-media-related research projects at Georgia Tech and the University of Melbourne will precede this presentation.