Localized Point Mixing Rate Potential in Heterogeneous Velocity Fields

Mixing is driven by an interplay between diffusion and flow-induced concentration gradients. Accurately describing the effect of flow heterogeneity on the mixing state of a plume is a challenging problem that has important repercussions on the modeling of plume dilution and chemical reactions. In this technical note, we propose a simple, semi-analytic measure to quantify the local mixing potential at a point based on the local properties of the flow-induced strain. Specifically, it is the trace of the local strain matrix squared, $${\text {Tr}}(\varvec{s}^2)$$ , which we demonstrate controls mixing from a point source over small times. Due to its mathematically similar influence to a shear flow on mixing, we propose an ansatz to attempt to use this metric as a predictor for mixing. We test its performance via random walk particle tracking simulations in heterogeneous Darcy flow through lognormal permeability fields. The ansatz appears to work better and better the more heterogeneous the flow, unlike more traditional approaches that rely on weak heterogeneity assumptions. While we cannot rigorously demonstrate why this is, we find it sufficiently promising that it may guide future model development.