A finite volume scheme with improved well modeling in subsurface flow simulation

We present the latest enhancement of the nonlinear monotone finite volume method for the near-well regions. The original nonlinear method is applicable for diffusion, advection-diffusion, and multiphase flow model equations with full anisotropic discontinuous permeability tensors on conformal polyhedral meshes. The approximation of the diffusive flux uses the nonlinear two-point stencil which reduces to the conventional two-point flux approximation (TPFA) on cubic meshes but has much better accuracy for the general case of non-orthogonal grids and anisotropic media. The latest modification of the nonlinear method takes into account the nonlinear (e.g., logarithmic) singularity of the pressure in the near-well region and introduces a correction to improve accuracy of the pressure and the flux calculation. In this paper, we consider a linear version of the nonlinear method waiving its monotonicity for sake of better accuracy. The new method is generalized for anisotropic media, polyhedral grids and nontrivial cases such as slanted, partially perforated wells or wells shifted from the cell center. Numerical experiments show noticeable reduction of numerical errors compared to the original monotone nonlinear FV scheme with the conventional Peaceman well model or with the given analytical well rate.     

Control-Volume Discretization Method for Quadrilateral Grids with Faults and Local Refinements

This paper extends the multipoint flux-approximation (MPFA) control-volume method to quadrilateral grids for which the adjacent cells do not necessarily share corners. Examples are grids with faults and locally refined grids. This paper gives a derivation of the method for such grids. The difference between two-point flux-approximation (TPFA) results and MPFA results for faults and local grid refinements is demonstrated for synthetic problems. Further, the results are compared with results from uniform fine-grid simulations. The effect of repeated fault patterns as well as anisotropy is investigated. Large errors may be found for the TPFA method for flow through a series of faults in an anisotropic medium. Finally, a comparison is done for a reservoir field application.     

Monotone nonlinear finite-volume method for challenging grids

This article presents a new positivity-preserving finite-volume scheme with a nonlinear two-point flux approximation, which uses optimization techniques for the face stencil calculation. The gradient is reconstructed using harmonic averaging points with the constraint that the sum of the coefficients included in the face stencils must be positive. We compare the proposed scheme to a nonlinear two-point scheme available in literature and a few linear schemes. Using two test cases, taken from the FVCA6 benchmarks, the accuracy of the scheme is investigated. Furthermore, it is shown that the scheme is linearity-preserving on highly complex corner-point grids. Moreover, a two-phase flow problem on the Norne formation, a geological formation in the Norwegian Sea, is simulated. It is demonstrated that the proposed scheme is consistent in contrast to the linear Two-Point Flux Approximation scheme, which is industry standard for simulating subsurface flow on corner-point grids.     

Performance of a flux splitting scheme when solving the single-phase pressure equation discretized by MPFA

In this article we present a series of tests to study how well suited the TPFA coefficient matrix is as a preconditioner for the MPFA discrete system of equations in an iterative solver, using a flux splitting method. These tests have been conducted for single-phase flow for a wide range of anisotropy, heterogeneity, and grid skewness (mainly parallelogram grids). We use the K-orthogonal part of the MPFA transmissibilities for a parallelogram grid to govern the TPFA transmissibilities. The convergence of the flux splitting method is for each test case measured by the spectral radius of the iteration matrix.     

Analysis and comparison of mixed finite element and multipoint flux approximation methods for homogeneous media

We consider discretization on quadrilateral grids of an elliptic operator occurring, for example, in the pressure equation for porous-media flow. In a realistic setting – with non-orthogonal grid, and anisotropic, heterogeneous permeability – special discretization techniques are required. Mixed finite element (MFE) and multipoint flux approximation (MPFA) are two methods that can handle such situations. Previously, a framework for analytical comparison of MFE and MPFA in special cases has been suggested. A comparison of MFE and MPFA-O (one of two main variants of MPFA) for isotropic, homogeneous permeability on a uniformly distorted grid was also performed. In the current paper, we utilize the suggested framework in a slightly different manner to analyze and compare MFE, MPFA-O and MPFA-U (the second main variant of MPFA). We reconsider the case previously analyzed. We also consider the case of generally anisotropic, homogeneous permeability on an orthogonal grid.     

Interpretation of a two-point flux stencil for skew parallelogram grids

Control-volume formulations for elliptic equations often use two-point flux stencils, even for skew grids. Any two-point flux stencil may be interpreted as a multipoint flux stencil. This yields a definition of the permeability (or conductivity) tensor. Formulas for calculating the permeability tensor, based on the user-specified quantities in the two-point flux stencil, are given. Numerical test examples demonstrate the validity of the derivation.      

TP or not TP,that is the question

We give here a comparative study on the mathematical analysis of two (classes of) discretization schemes for the computation of approximate solutions to incompressible two-phase flow problems in homogeneous porous media. The first scheme is the well-known finite volume scheme with a two-point flux approximation, classically used in industry. The second class contains the so-called approximate gradient schemes, which include finite elements with mass lumping, mixed finite elements, and mimetic finite differences. Both (classes of) schemes are nonconforming and can be expressed using discrete function and gradient reconstructions within a variational formulation. Each class has its specific advantages and drawbacks: monotony properties are natural with the two-point finite volume scheme, but meshes are restricted due to consistency issues; on the contrary, gradient schemes can be used on general meshes, but monotony properties are difficult to obtain.     

Nonlinear two-point flux approximation for modeling full-tensor effects in subsurface flow simulations

Subsurface flow models can exhibit strong full-tensor anisotropy due to either permeability or grid nonorthogonality effects. Upscaling procedures, for example, generate full-tensor effects on the coarse scale even for cases in which the underlying fine-scale permeability is isotropic. A multipoint flux approximation (MPFA) is often needed to accurately simulate flow for such systems. In this paper, we present and apply a different approach, nonlinear two-point flux approximation (NTPFA), for modeling systems with full-tensor effects. In NTPFA, transmissibility (which provides interblock connections) is determined from reference global flux and pressure fields for a specific flow problem. These fields can be generated using either fully resolved or approximate global simulations. The use of fully resolved simulations leads to an NTPFA method that corresponds to global upscaling procedures, while the use of approximate simulations gives a method corresponding to recently developed local–global techniques. For both approaches, NTPFA algorithms applicable to both single-scale full-tensor permeability systems and two-scale systems are described. A unified framework is introduced, which enables single-scale and two-scale problems to be viewed in a consistent manner. Extensive numerical results demonstrate that the global and local–global NTPFA techniques provide accurate flow predictions over wide parameter ranges for both single-scale and two-scale systems, though the global procedure is more accurate overall. The applicability of NTPFA to the simulation of two-phase flow in upscaled models is also demonstrated.     

A general method for simulating reactive dissolution in carbonate rocks with arbitrary geometry

The two-scale continuum model is widely used in simulating the reactive dissolution process and predicting the optimum injection rate for carbonate reservoir acidizing treatment. The numerical methods of this model are currently based on structured grids, which are not applicable for complicated geometries. In this study, a general numerical scheme for simulating a reactive flow problem on both structured and unstructured grids is presented based on the finite volume method (FVM). The convection and diffusion terms involved in the reactive flow model are discretized by using the upwind scheme and two-point flux approximation (TPFA), respectively. The location of the centroid node inside each control volume is moved by using an optimization algorithm to make the connections with the surrounding elements as orthogonal as possible, which systematically improves the accuracy of the TPFA scheme. Additionally, in order to avoid the computational complexity resulting from the discretization of the non-linear term, the mass balance equation is only discretized in the spatial domain to get a set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). These ODEs are coupled with the reaction equations and then solved using the numerical algorithm on ODEs. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method are studied by comparing the results obtained from the proposed numerical method with previous experimental and numerical results. This comparison indicates that, compared with the previous methods, the proposed method predicts the wormhole structure more accurately. Finally, the presented method is used to check the effect of the domain geometry, and it is found that the geometry of the flow domain has no effect on the optimum injection velocity, but the radial domain requires a larger breakthrough volume than the linear domain when other parameters are fixed.     

Vertex-centred discretization of multiphase compositional Darcy flows on general meshes

This paper concerns the discretisation on general 3D meshes of multiphase compositional Darcy flows in heterogeneous anisotropic porous media. Extending Coats’ formulation [15] to an arbitrary number of phases, the model accounts for the coupling of the mass balance of each component with the pore volume conservation and the thermodynamical equilibrium and dynamically manages phase appearance and disappearance. The spatial discretisation of the multiphase compositional Darcy flows is based on a generalisation of the Vertex Approximate Gradient scheme, already introduced for single-phase diffusive problems in [24]. It leads to an unconditionally coercive scheme for arbitrary meshes and permeability tensors. The stencil of this vertex-centred scheme typically comprises 27 points on topologically Cartesian meshes, and the number of unknowns on tetrahedral meshes is considerably reduced, compared with the usual cell-centred approaches. The efficiency of our approach is exhibited on several examples, including the nearwell injection of miscible CO₂ in a saline aquifer taking into account the vaporisation of H₂O in the gas phase as well as the precipitation of salt.     

Multidimensional upstream weighting for multiphase transport on general grids

The governing equations for multiphase flow in porous media have a mixed character, with both nearly elliptic and nearly hyperbolic variables. The flux for each phase can be decomposed into two parts: (1) a geometry- and rock-dependent term that resembles a single-phase flux; and (2) a mobility term representing fluid properties and rock–fluid interactions. The first term is commonly discretized by two- or multipoint flux approximations (TPFA and MPFA, respectively). The mobility is usually treated with single-point upstream weighting (SPU), also known as dimensional or donor cell upstream weighting. It is well known that when simulating processes with adverse mobility ratios, SPU suffers from grid orientation effects. An important example of this, which will be considered in this work, is the displacement of a heavy oil by water. For these adverse mobility ratio flows, the governing equations are unstable at the modeling scale, rendering a challenging numerical problem. These challenges must be addressed in order to avoid systematic biasing of simulation results. In this work, we present a framework for multidimensional upstream weighting for multiphase flow with buoyancy on general two-dimensional grids. The methodology is based on a dual grid, and the resulting transport methods are provably monotone. The multidimensional transport methods are coupled with MPFA methods to solve the pressure equation. Both explicit and fully implicit approaches are considered for time integration of the transport equations. The results show considerable reduction of grid orientation effects compared to SPU, and the explicit multidimensional approach allows larger time steps. For the implicit method, the total number of non-linear iterations is also reduced when multidimensional upstream weighting is used.     

Mimetic Finite Difference Methods for Diffusion Equations

This paper reviews and extends the theory and application of mimetic finite difference methods for the solution of diffusion problems in strongly heterogeneous anisotropic materials. These difference operators satisfy the fundamental identities, conservation laws and theorems of vector and tensor calculus on nonorthogonal, nonsmooth, structured and unstructured computational grids. We provide explicit approximations for equations in two dimensions with discontinuous anisotropic diffusion tensors. We mention the similarities and differences between the new methods and mixed finite element or hybrid mixed finite element methods.     

Monotone multiscale finite volume method

The MultiScale Finite Volume (MSFV) method is known to produce non-monotone solutions. The causes of the non-monotone solutions are identified and connected to the local flux across the boundaries of primal coarse cells induced by the basis functions. We propose a monotone MSFV (m-MSFV) method based on a local stencil-fix that guarantees monotonicity of the coarse-scale operator, and thus, the resulting approximate fine-scale solution. Detection of non-physical transmissibility coefficients that lead to non-monotone solutions is achieved using local information only and is performed algebraically. For these ‘critical’ primal coarse-grid interfaces, a monotone local flux approximation, specifically, a Two-Point Flux Approximation (TPFA), is employed. Alternatively, a local linear boundary condition can be used for the dual basis functions to reduce the degree of non-monotonicity. The local nature of the two strategies allows for ensuring monotonicity in local sub-regions, where the non-physical transmissibility occurs. For practical applications, an adaptive approach based on normalized positive off-diagonal coarse-scale transmissibility coefficients is developed. Based on the histogram of these normalized coefficients, one can remove the large peaks by applying the proposed modifications only for a small fraction of the primal coarse grids. Though the m-MSFV approach can guarantee monotonicity of the solutions to any desired level, numerical results illustrate that employing the m-MSFV modifications only for a small fraction of the domain can significantly reduce the non-monotonicity of the conservative MSFV solutions.     

A Finite-Volume Method with Hexahedral Multiblock Grids for Modeling Flow in Porous Media

This paper presents a finite-volume method for hexahedral multiblock grids to calculate multiphase flow in geologically complex reservoirs. Accommodating complex geologic and geometric features in a reservoir model (e.g., faults) entails non-orthogonal and/or unstructured grids in place of conventional (globally structured) Cartesian grids. To obtain flexibility in gridding as well as efficient flow computation, we use hexahedral multiblock grids. These grids are locally structured, but globally unstructured. One major advantage of these grids over fully unstructured tetrahedral grids is that most numerical methods developed for structured grids can be directly used for dealing with the local problems. We present several challenging examples, generated via a commercially available tool, that demonstrate the capabilities of hexahedral multiblock gridding. Grid quality is discussed in terms of uniformity and orthogonality. The presence of non-orthogonal grid and full permeability tensors requires the use of multi-point discretization methods. A flux-continuous finite-difference (FCFD) scheme, previously developed for stratigraphic hexahedral grid with full-tensor permeability, is employed for numerical flow computation. We extend the FCFD scheme to handle exceptional configurations (i.e. three- or five-cell connections as opposed to the regular four), which result from employing multiblock gridding of certain complex objects. In order to perform flow simulation efficiently, we employ a two-level preconditioner for solving the linear equations that results from the wide stencil of the FCFD scheme. The individual block, composed of cells that form a structured grid, serves as the local level; the higher level operates on the global block configuration (i.e. unstructured component). The implementation uses an efficient data structure where each block is wrapped with a layer of neighboring cells. We also examine splitting techniques [14] for the linear systems associated with the wide stencils of our FCFD operator. We present three numerical examples that demonstrate the method: (1) a pinchout, (2) a faulted reservoir model with internal surfaces and (3) a real reservoir model with multiple faults and internal surfaces.     

Implementation of a Locally Conservative Numerical Subgrid Upscaling Scheme for Two-Phase Darcy Flow

We present a locally mass conservative scheme for the approximation of two-phase flow in a porous medium that allows us to obtain detailed fine scale solutions on relatively coarse meshes. The permeability is assumed to be resolvable on a fine numerical grid, but limits on computational power require that computations be performed on a coarse grid. We define a two-scale mixed finite element space and resulting method, and describe in detail the solution algorithm. It involves a coarse scale operator coupled to a subgrid scale operator localized in space to each coarse grid element. An influence function (numerical Greens function) technique allows us to solve these subgrid scale problems independently of the coarse grid approximation. The coarse grid problem is modified to take into account the subgrid scale solution and solved as a large linear system of equations posed over a coarse grid. Finally, the coarse scale solution is corrected on the subgrid scale, providing a fine grid representation of the solution. Numerical examples are presented, which show that near-well behavior and even extremely heterogeneous permeability barriers and streaks are upscaled well by the technique.     

A parallel, implicit, cell‐centered method for two‐phase flow with a preconditioned Newton–Krylov solver

A new parallel solution technique is developed for the fully implicit three‐dimensional two‐phase flow model. An expandedcell‐centered finite difference scheme which allows for a full permeability tensor is employed for the spatial discretization, and backwardEuler is used for the time discretization. The discrete systems are solved using a novel inexact Newton method that reuses the Krylov information generated by the GMRES linear iterative solver. Fast nonlinear convergence can be achieved by composing inexact Newton steps with quasi‐Newton steps restricted to the underlying Krylov subspace. Furthermore, robustness and efficiency are achieved with a line‐search backtracking globalization strategy for the nonlinear systems and a preconditioner for each coupled linear system to be solved. This inexact Newton method also makes use of forcing terms suggested by Eisenstat and Walker which prevent oversolving of the Jacobian systems. The preconditioner is a new two‐stage method which involves a decoupling strategy plus the separate solutions of both nonwetting‐phase pressure and saturation equations. Numerical results show that these nonlinear and linear solvers are very effective.     

Simulation of anisotropic heterogeneous near-well flow using MPFA methods on flexible grids

Control-volume multipoint flux approximations (MPFA) are discussed for the simulation of complex near-well flow using geometrically flexible grids. Due to the strong non-linearity of the near-well flow, a linear model will, in general, be inefficient. Instead, a model accounting for the logarithmic pressure behavior in the well vicinity is advocated. This involves a non-uniform refinement of the grid in the radial direction. The model accounts for both near-well anisotropies and heterogeneities. For a full simulation involving multiple wells, this single-well approach can easily be coupled with the reservoir model. Numerical simulations demonstrate the convergence behavior of this model using various MPFA schemes under different near-well conditions for single-phase flow regimes. Two-phase simulations support the results of the single-phase simulations.     

Numerical solution and convergence analysis of steam injection in heavy oil reservoirs

In this paper, the numerical methods for solving the problem of steam injection in the heavy oil reservoirs are presented. We consider a 3-dimensional model of 3-phase flow, oil, water, and steam, with the effect of 3-phase relative permeability. Interphase mass transfer of water and steam is considered; oil is assumed nonvolatile. We apply the simultaneous solution approach to solve the corresponding nonlinear discretized partial differential equation in the fully implicit form. The convergence of finite difference scheme is proved by the Rosinger theorem. The heuristic Jacobian-Free-Newton-Krylov (HJFNK) method is proposed for solving the system of algebraic equations. The result of this proposed numerical method is well compared with some experimental results. Our numerical results show that the first iteration of the full approximation scheme (FAS) provides a good initial guess for the Newton method. Therefore, we propose a new hybrid-FAS-HJFNK method while there is no steam in the reservoir. The numerical results show that the hybrid-FAS-HJFNK method converges faster than the HJFNK method.     

非结构网格上的三维浅水流动数值模型

针对当前复杂环境水流模拟的需求,建立了新型的基于特征型高分辨率数值算法的三维非结构网格浅水动力模型。模型采用有限体积法离散sigma坐标下的三维浅水方程,运用Roe黎曼近似解评估水平界面通量。模型网格拟合边界能力强,可根据需要局部加密;格式数值性能优良,具有守恒性、单调迎风性、高数值分辨率等特性。同时,应用干湿判别法处理动边界,以适应浅滩地形漫/露过程模拟的需要。封闭水池内部风生环流、干河床上溃坝过程和长江口实际潮流场的模拟从不同侧面展示了模型的特点,结果表明它能够准确地预测水流的三维流动结构,而且计算简单高效,具有良好的数值稳定性。     

The single-cell transport problem for two-phase flow with polymer

Polymer injection is a widespread strategy in enhanced oil recovery. Polymer increases the water viscosity and creates a more favorable mobility ratio between the injected water and the displaced oil. The computational cost of simulating polymer injection can be significantly reduced if one splits the governing system of two-phase equations into a pressure equation and a set of saturation/component equations and use a Gauss–Seidel algorithm with optimal cell ordering to solve the nonlinear systems arising from an implicit discretization of the saturation/component equations. This approach relies on a robust single-cell solver that computes the saturation and polymer concentration of a cell, given the total flux and the saturation and polymer concentration of the neighboring cells. In this paper, we consider a relatively comprehensive polymer model used in an industry-standard simulator, and show that, in the case of a discretization using a two-point flux approximation, the single-cell problem always admits a solution that is also unique.