Viscous dissipation in a flow with power-law, temperature dependent rheology: application to channeled lava flows

The cooling and the dynamics of a lava flowing down an inclined channel under the effect of the gravity force is studied through the finite volume method, taking into account the effect of viscous dissipation in the heat equation. The considered rheology is shear thinning and temperature dependent. The numerical solution is tested in order to verify the independence from the mesh. The dynamic and heat problems are addressed obtaining both the stationary and the transient solution. Results indicate that, considering viscous dissipation in the heat equation, a fluid with temperature-dependent nonlinear viscosity is faster and hotter with respect to the case in which viscous dissipation is neglected. The most important effect of viscous dissipation is on the solid boundaries where the fluid warms up, and the use of a variable Reynolds number allowed us to conclude that areas in which the flow is in the laminar regime and areas in which the flow is in the turbulent regime can coexist inside the fluid. This behavior seems independent of the channel shape and can explain the observed warming back after the initial cooling in the lava flow lobes emplacement on Kilauea Volcano.