Mixing, Diffusion &

Dispersion
Steve Chapra

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Tufts University

19 June 2012

Mixing, Diffusion & Dispersion

!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!

Lake-Bay System
Simple Diffusion Experiment
Ficks First Law
Mixing Length
Saginaw Bay example
Extension to flowing systems
Diffusion and Dispersion
Typical values

LAKE/EMBAYMENT SYSTEM
diffusive
mixing

B EA

CH

BAY
(2)

MAIN
LAKE
(1)

DIFFUSIVE MIXING
BAY
(2)

V1

MAIN
LAKE
(1)

dc1
=
W1 -
Q1c1 -
k1V1c1 +
Q2 c2
mixing
dt

V2

dc2
=
W2 -
Q2 c2 -
k2V2 c2
mixing
dt

A SIMPLE
EXPERIMENT

Dye

(1)

(2)

No dye

t=0

Gently remove partition and observe

what happens

t = t

MASS WAS
TRANSPORTED
EVEN THOUGH
NO FLOW!

t = 2 t
t =

SIMPLE MODEL
OF OUR EXPERIMENT
D

c1

c2
D

dc1
= - D'c1 + D'c2 = D'(c2 - c1 )
V1
dt
dc2
= - D'c2 + D'c1 = D'(c1 - c2 )
V2
dt

ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
(c1 = c10; c2 = 0 @ t = 0)
c1 =
c10 e

4 D'
t
V

4 D'


-

t

c10
V



+

1
-

e


2

4 D'


-

t

c10
V



c2 =

1
-

e


2

c10

c1
c10
2
c2
t95 = ?

FICKS FIRST LAW

Flux in x
[M/L2/T]

dc
Jx =
-
D
dx
Diffusion coefficient
[L2/T]

Gradient of c
in x [M/L3/L]

Where does negative sign come from?

c

c
Direction of
mass flux

dc
<0
dx

Direction of
mass flux

dc
>0
dx

MIXING MODEL BASED ON FICKS LAW

1

Write the mass balance

in terms of flux at
interface:

V1

dc1
=
-
JAc
dt

Substitute Ficks law for

flux:

c

c

V1 1 =
-

-
D
Ac


t
x

Substitute finite difference

for spatial derivative:

dc c2 -
c1


dx
l

Collect terms:

dc1
V1
=
D (
c2 -
c1 )

dt
where:

D'=

DAc
l

Thus, we come up with same model but with more

fundamental parameters

NOW BACK TO THE LAKE/BAY

BAY
(2)

V1

MAIN
LAKE
(1)

dc1
=
W1 -
Q1c1 -
k1V1c1 +
Q2 c2 +
E '(c2 -
c1 )
dt

dc2
V2
=
W2 -
Q2 c2 -
k2V2 c2 +
E '(c1 -
c2 )
dt
Note: we have changed nomenclature to distinguish
turbulent diffusion (E') from molecular diffusion (D')

MIXING
LENGTH

(a) One-dimensional Estuary

(b) Bay/Main lake

l1

l
x

l2

SAGINAW BAY/LAKE HURON

Georgian

Main
Lake
Huron
Saginaw
Bay

Bay

ESTIMATING DIFFUSION WITH TRACERS

Chloride Budget for Saginaw Bay

N

LAKE
HURON
5.4 mg/L

SAGINAW
BAY

15.2 mg/L

0.353x1012 g/yr
0

50 km

SALT BALANCE
0

ds 2
= W2 - Q2 s 2 + E'( s1 - s 2 )
V2
dt
W2 - Q2 s 2
E' =
s 2 - s1
'

E =

EAc

vd =

SALT BALANCE
12
9
3

0.353 10
7 10 (15.2)
9 m
=
=

E'
25.2 10
15.2 - 5.4
yr
2
E' 25.2 10 9 (10 10 3 )
m
=
= 1.482 10 9
E=
Ac
yr
0.17 10 6

E = 1.482 10 9

yr
m 10 cm
d
cm

= 4.7 10 5
yr
s
m 2 365 d 86400 s

E 1.482 10 9
5 m
=
=
=

vd
1.48 10
3
yr

10 10

TOTAL PHOSPHORUS BUDGET

FOR LAKE HURON/SAGINAW BAY
4.05x1012
1.42x1012

(advection)
0.2x1012
28.4
0.6x1012
(diffusion)

0.71x1012
(13.0%)

4.4

0.62x1012
(11.4%)

4.13x1012
(75.6%)

SAGINAW BAY

LAKE HURON

EXTENSION TO
MULTI-SEGMENT SYSTEMS
(STREAMS, ESTUARIES, ETC.)

Time

Space

(a) Advection

Space

(b) Diffusion

Time

ADVECTION AND DIFFUSION

Space

Time

ADVECTION AND DIFFUSION

DIFFUSION VERSUS
DISPERSION
(a) diffusion (smearing due to time averaging)

DIFFUSION VERSUS DISPERSION

(b) dispersion (smearing due to space averaging)
r

Radial axis
U(r)
Longitudinal
axis

MAGNITUDES OF
DIFFUSION AND DISPERSION
Estuaries
LONGITUDINAL DISPERSION
Streams
Ocean
HORIZONTAL TURBULENT DIFFUSION
Lakes

MOLECULAR
DIFFUSION
DIFFUSION IN POROUS
MEDIA (SEDIMENTS)

10 -8

10 -6

10 -4

Surface layer
VERTICAL TURBULENT DIFFUSION
Deep layers

10 -2

10 0

cm2/s

10 2

10 4

10 6

10 8

ESTUARY SYSTEMS
RIVER

s
(ppt)

TIDAL
RIVER

ESTUARY
BAY

20
10

OCEAN

HANDS-ON
BayLake2K