DOE OSTI · 2589116
Invariant Forms of Dissolution Fingers
Abstract
Dissolution of fractured and porous media introduces a positive feedback between fluid flow and reactant transport, leading to the emergence of pronounced, fingerlike channels. We investigate the formation of these structures using a microfluidic Hele-Shaw cell with a soluble bottom. Our experiments show that the shape of dissolution fingers is invariant and reveals itself over time as the fingers extend into the system. Here, by combining reactive-transport theory and conformal mapping techniques we derive these invariant forms. We relate these results to natural dissolution fingers in karst landscapes, and illustrate how to determine the groundwater flow rate responsible for their formation based on the finger shape.
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Żukowski, Stanisław [University of Warsaw (Poland); CNRS & Université Paris Cité (France)] (ORCID:0000000163193995), Magni, Silvana [University of Warsaw (Poland)], Osselin, Florian [Institut des Sciences de la Terre, Orleans (France)] (ORCID:0000000319917153), Dutka, Filip [University of Warsaw (Poland)] (ORCID:0000000291717490), Cooper, Max [University of Warsaw (Poland)] (ORCID:0000000160045081), Ladd, Anthony J. C. [University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000202710650), Szymczak, Piotr [University of Warsaw (Poland)] (ORCID:0000000189407891). 2025-03-04. Invariant Forms of Dissolution Fingers. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.134.094101
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