Hassanzadeh, HassanAbedi, JalalSabet, Nasser2017-01-032017-01-0320162016http://hdl.handle.net/11023/3532Natural convection in porous media is a phenomenon in which the unstable setting of fluid layers leads to the formation of convective currents and is very important to different aspects of science and engineering including chemo-hydrodynamics, geological storage of CO2, and solvent-aided thermal recovery from bitumen reservoirs. This thesis analyzes the effect of viscosity variation in single and double diffusive convection using linear stability analysis and nonlinear numerical simulation. Universal scaling relations were developed to predict the onset of convective instabilities and their initial wavelengths. The developed numerical model was validated using a number of benchmark problems. The model results were compared with stability analysis predictions and good agreement was observed. Finally, linear stability analysis was employed to optimize the selection of n-alkane solvents in solvent-aided thermal recovery methods from bitumen reservoirs.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Engineering--PetroleumNatural ConvectionLinear Stability AnalysisNonlinear Numerical Simulationmaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/27860