Publications Details

Analyzing Field Data from the Brine Availability Test in Salt (BATS): A High-resolution 3D Numerical Comparison between Voronoi and Cartesian Meshing

Jayne, Richard S.; Kuhlman, Kristopher L.

A crucial component of field testing is the utilization of numerical models to better understand the system and the experimental data being collected. Meshing and modeling field tests is a complex and computationally demanding problem. Hexahedral elements cannot always reproduce experimental dimensions leading to grid orientation or geometric errors. Voronoi meshes can match complex geometries without sacrificing orthogonality. As a result, here we present a high-resolution 3D numerical study for the BATS heater test at the WIPP that compares both a standard non-deformed cartesian mesh along with a Voronoi mesh to match field data collected during a salt heater experiment.