Heat generation by ultrasound wave propagation in porous media with low permeability: Theoretical framework and coupled numerical modeling

Ultrasound wave propagation through a porous medium results in a temperature increase due to mechanical dissipation. This temperature increase has different applications in medical science, food industry, and engineering. A fully coupled dynamic thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) model is presented for numerical modelling of this phenomenon in deforming porous media. The temperature increase due to wave propagation is taken into account in the energy conservation equation by using a viscous drag force and considering solid-fluid interaction. The solid and fluid displacements (U→_s and U→_w) and the temperature (T) are taken as primary unknowns in the model known in literature as uUT model. The finite element method is used for the discrete approximation of the governing partial differential equations. Based on the numerical examples carried out in this study, it is shown that the scale of the simulated sample may have a very pronounced effect on the results, and that results from small scale laboratory samples should not be extrapolated to the actual field condition. Furthermore, the results of ultrasound application in porous media indicate a significant increase in temperature in the vicinity of the source boundary.