A coupled cryogenic thermo-hydro-mechanical model for frozen medium: Theory and implementation in FDEM

Abstract

This paper presents the development of a coupled modeling approach to simulate cryogenic thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes associated with a freezing medium, which is then implemented in the combined finite-discrete element method code (FDEM) for multi-physics simulation. The governing equations are deduced based on energy and mass conservation, and static equilibrium equations, considering water/ice phase change, where the strong couplings between multi-fields are supplemented by critical coupling parameters (e.g. unfrozen water content, permeability, and thermal conductivity). The proposed model is validated against laboratory and field experiments. Results show that the cryogenic THM model can well predict the evolution of strongly coupled processes observed in frozen media (e.g. heat transfer, water migration, and frost heave deformation), while also capturing, as emergent properties of the model, important phenomena (e.g. latent heat, cryogenic suction, ice expansion and distinct three-zone distribution) caused by water/ice phase change at laboratory and field scales, which are difficult to be all revealed by existing THM models. The novel modeling framework presents a gateway to further understanding and predicting the multi-physical coupling behavior of frozen media in cold regions.