M. Hutnak¹ and A. T. Fisher^1,2

¹ Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064

² Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064

Download complete preprint of the paper here: Hutnak, M., and A.T. Fisher, The influence of sedimentation, local and regional hydrothermal circulation, and thermal rebound on measurements of heat flux from young seafloor, J. Geophys. Res., 112, B12101, doi:10.1029/2007JB005022, 2007. [PDF of complete paper]

Go to source code/files

Disclaimer and Request for Comment and Citation

(1) Information presented on this webpage is a product of research conducted with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, and the Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics.

(2) While we have tried to make the documents and codes correct, we provide no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of furnished programs or associated information.

(3) We welcome comments and identification of bugs or suggestions as to changes that might be made in future generations of these tools. We will make periodic updates and post them here, as time allows.

(4) If you make use of these tools or other information provided at this web site or in the original publication (listed above), please be sure to cite this work in your publications.

Overview of SlugSed

SlugSed is a one-dimensional numerical model of fluid and heat transport coded in Matlab. In its most basic form, the model calculates the temperature distribution within a medium of finite thickness and known thermal conductivity and heat capacity, given appropriate initial and boundary conditions. The initial conditions consist of depth, temperature, rate(s) of radiogenic heat production or loss, and thermal conductivity for discrete points within the medium. The boundary conditions must be specified as temperature at the top of the medium and either temperature or heat flux at the bottom, and both can be time-variant. SlugSed can accommodate multiple distinct basement layers, each having independent property sets. In the case of sedimentation, the depth-variant physical and thermal properties within the accumulating sediment layer are derived from a user-specified porosity versus depth function. The thermal properties of basement layers (when in use) can be specified in bulk (i.e., applied to all points within the layer) or individually. Seepage of fluids within the sediment layer can be driven by compaction and consolidation, fluid overpressures in basement, or imposed explicitly.

Link to Cookbook: [PDF of SlugSed Cookbook]

Explanation as to how BuildSlugSed is used to create the main SlugSed program [PDF Using BuildSlugSed]

Link to SlugSed Source Code (Matlab format): [SlugSed.tar]

README.TXT for SlugSed.tar

Example problems: Analytical Solutions

Example 1 - Linear flow of heat in the solid bounded by two parallel planes. The region 0 < x < L. Ends kept at zero temperature. Initial temperature f(x)=V₀, constant. [Example 1, PDF format]

Example 2  - Linear flow of heat in a solid bounded by two parallel planes. The region –L < x < L. Initial temperature = 0, ends at constant temperature. [Example 2, PDF format]

Example 3  - Linear flow of heat in a solid bounded by two parallel planes. The region -L < x < L. Zero Initial temperature. Heat production constant. [Example 3, PDF format]

Example 4  - Comparison to Benfield (1949) analytical solution for sedimentation on a semi-infinite half space. [Example 4, PDF format]

Example 5  - Comparison to Bredehoeft and Papadopulos (1965) analytical solution for steady-state fluid flow between two constant-temperature boundaries. [Example 5, PDF format]

Example problems: Sediment Accumulation

Example 6  - Constant sediment accumulation, variable sediment porosity, uniform basement properties. [Example 6, PDF format]

Example 7  - Constant sediment accumulation, variable sediment porosity, high Nu (vigorously convecting) basement aquifer, variable conductivity basement. [Example 7, PDF format]

Example 8  - Constant sediment accumulation, variable sediment porosity, high Nu (vigorously convecting) basement aquifer, variable conductivity basement, and heat sinks that shut down linearly. [Example 8, PDF format]

Data file containing time-series of heat sinks to represent linear reduction in advective heat extraction. This input file is called by the file that is linked to Example 8 above. Both files need to be in the same directory when Example 8 is run.

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