A Note on Axisymmetric Supercritical Coning in a Porous Medium

Abstract

The steady response of a fluid with two layers of different density in a porous medium is considered during extraction through a point sink. Supercritical withdrawal in which both layers are being withdrawn is investigated using a spectral method. We show that for each withdrawal rate, there is a single entry angle of the interface into the point sink. As the flow rate decreases the angle of entry steepens until it becomes almost vertical, at which point the method fails. This limit is shown to correspond to the upper bound on sub-critical (single-layer) flow.