Synchrotron X-ray microtomography and lattice Boltzmann simulations of gas flow through volcanic pumices

Wim Degruyter (1) , Alain Burgisser (2) , Olivier Bachmann (3) , Orestis Malaspinas (4)

1 University of Geneva, Dept. of Mineralogy
2 ISTO - Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans
3 Department of Earth and Space Sciences [Seattle]
4 Laboratoire d'Ingénierie Numérique

To illustrate the advances made in permeability calculations combining X-ray microtomography and lattice Boltzmann method simulations, a sample suite of different types of pumices was investigated. Large three dimensional images at high spatial resolution were collected at three different synchrotron facilities (Elettra, SLS, and ESRF). Single phase gas flow simulations were done on computer clusters with a highly parallelized lattice Boltzmann code, named Palabos. Permeability measurements obtained by gas flow simulation were compared to lab measurements of pumices produced by the Kos Plateau Tuff eruption to validate the method. New permeability data for pumices from other silicic volcanic deposits is present and empirical mod l for permeability is tested using geometrical and topological data, i.e. tortuosity, specific surface area, total and connected porosity.

Domains: Volcanology; Global Changes

Wim Degruyter, Alain Burgisser, Olivier Bachmann, Orestis Malaspinas. Synchrotron X-ray microtomography and lattice Boltzmann simulations of gas flow through volcanic pumices. Geosphere, 2010, 6, pp.470-471. ⟨10.1130/GES00555.1⟩. ⟨insu-00488535⟩