The impact of clogging on the transfer dynamics of hydraulic networks

TL;DR

This paper examines how clogging impacts the transfer efficiency of hydraulic networks embedded in matrices, using simulations and an analytical model to assess vulnerability under various attack scenarios.

Contribution

It introduces an analytical framework to predict the vulnerability of hydraulic networks to clogging attacks, linking microstructural changes to transfer dynamics.

Findings

Clogging significantly reduces transfer efficiency in hydraulic networks.

Different attack types have varying impacts on system vulnerability.

The analytical model accurately predicts transfer loss due to clogging.

Abstract

We investigate how clogging affects the transfer properties of a generic class of materials featuring a hydraulic network embedded in a matrix. We consider the flow of a liquid through fully saturated hydraulic networks which transfer heat (or mass) by advection and diffusion, and a matrix in which only diffusion operates. Networks are subjected to different clogging scenarios (or attacks), changing their microstructure and flow field. A series of canonical cooling tests are simulated using a tracer method prior to and following attack. Results quantify the threat posed by different types and degrees of attack to a system's transfer properties. An analytical framework is introduced to predict this vulnerability to attacks, rationalised in terms of their effect on the physical mechanisms underlying the transfer dynamics.