A mixed-dimensional finite volume method for two-phase flow in fractured porous media

We present a vertex-centered finite volume method for the fully coupled, fully implicit discretization of two-phase flow in fractured porous media. Fractures are discretely modeled as lower dimensional elements. The method works on unstructured, locally refined grids and on parallel computers with distributed memory. An implicit time discretization is employed and the nonlinear systems of equations are solved with a parallel Newton-multigrid method. Results from two-dimensional and three-dimensional simulations are presented.     

On the solution of transient free-surface flow problems in porous media by the finite element method

A numerical procedure is presented to deal with solution of transient free-surface flows in porous media. The governing boundary-value problem for the piezometric potential is solved by the finite element method. The initial-value problem which describes the transient motion of the free-surface is solved by the method of quasi-linearization. The numerical scheme has been applied to isotropic and anisotropic earth dam problem and also to a ditch drainage problem. Excellent agreements have been reached when compared with known solutions. This computational procedure is shown to be stable and suitable for this class of problems with the aid of a digital computer.     

A new benchmark semi-analytical solution for density-driven flow in porous media

A new benchmark semi-analytical solution is proposed for the verification of density-driven flow codes. The problem deals with a synthetic square porous cavity subject to different salt concentrations at its vertical walls. A steady state semi-analytical solution is investigated using the Fourier–Galerkin method. Contrarily to the standard Henry problem, the cavity benchmark allows high truncation orders in the Fourier series and provides semi-analytical solutions for very small diffusion cases. The problem is also investigated numerically to validate the semi-analytical solution. The obtained results represent a set of new test case high quality data that can be effectively used for benchmarking density-driven flow codes.     

Adaptive finite element simulation of Stokes flow in porous media

The Stokes problem describes flow of an incompressible constant-viscosity fluid when the Reynolds number is small so that inertial and transient-time effects are negligible. The numerical solution of the Stokes problem requires special care, since classical finite element discretization schemes, such as piecewise linear interpolation for both the velocity and the pressure, fail to perform. Even when an appropriate scheme is adopted, the grid must be selected so that the error is as small as possible. Much of the challenge in solving Stokes problems is how to account for complex geometry and to capture important features such as flow separation. This paper applies adaptive mesh techniques, using a posteriori error estimates, in the finite element solution of the Stokes equations that model flow at pore scales. Different selected numerical test cases associated with various porous geometrics are presented and discussed to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of our methodology.     

A two-scale operator-splitting method for two-phase flow in porous media

In this paper, we develop a two-scale operator-splitting method for the classical two-phase flow model, which handles advective and diffusive processes on different grids. The aim is to reduce computational complexity without loss of accuracy by using the numerical flexibility of operator-splitting techniques. To enhance the stability and the robustness with regards to sharp fronts, an additional slope limiter is introduced as a local post-processing step. For simplicity of notation, we provide the method in one dimension first and then generalize it to higher dimensions. Numerical examples illustrate the effect of the slope-limiting step and show the performance and flexibility of the proposed two-scale method.     

Laplace-transform analytic element solution of transient flow in porous media

A Laplace-transform analytic element method (LT-AEM) is described for the solution of transient flow problems in porous media. Following Laplace transformation of the original flow problem, the analytic element method (AEM) is used to solve the resultant time-independent modified Helmholtz equation, and the solution is inverted numerically back into the time domain. The solution is entirely general, retaining the mathematical elegance and computational efficiency of the AEM while being amenable to parallel computation. It is especially well suited for problems in which a solution is required at a limited number of points in space–time, and for problems involving materials with sharply contrasting hydraulic properties. We illustrate the LT-AEM on transient flow through a uniform confined aquifer with a circular inclusion of contrasting hydraulic conductivity and specific storage. Our results compare well with published analytical solutions in the special case of radial flow.     

Modelling of groundwater flow in heterogeneous porous media by finite element method

The HySuf‐FEM code (Hydrodynamic of Subsurface Flow by Finite Element Method) is proposed in this article in order to estimate the spatial variability of the transmissivity values of the Berrechid aquifer (Morocco). The calibration of the model is based on the hydraulic head, hydraulic conductivity and recharge. Three numerical tests are used to validate the model and verify its convergence. The first test case consists in using the steady analytical solution of the Poisson equation. In the second, the model has been compared with the hydrogeological system which is characterized by an unconfined monolayer (isotropic layer) and computed by using PMWIN‐MODFLOW software. The third test case is based on the comparison between the results of HySuf‐FEM and the multiple cell balance method in the aquifer system with natural boundaries case. Good agreement between the Hydrodynamic of Subsurface Flow, the numerical tests and the spatial distribution of the thickening of the hydrogeological system is deduced from the analysis and the interpretations of hydrogeological wells. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient fully-coupled solution techniques for two-phase flow in porous media: Parallel multigrid solution and large scale computations

This paper is concerned with the fast resolution of nonlinear and linear algebraic equations arising from a fully implicit finite volume discretization of two-phase flow in porous media. We employ a Newton-multigrid algorithm on unstructured meshes in two and three space dimensions. The discretized operator is used for the coarse grid systems in the multigrid method. Problems with discontinuous coefficients are avoided by using a newly truncated restriction operator and an outer Krylov-space method. We show an optimal order of convergence for a wide range of two-phase flow problems including heterogeneous media and vanishing capillary pressure in an experimental way. Furthermore, we present a data parallel implementation of the algorithm with speedup results.     

Turbulent flow through porous media

The pressure driving flow through porous media must be equal to the viscous resistance plus the inertial resistance. Formulas are developed for both the viscous resistance and the inertial resistance. The expression for the coefficient of permeability consists of parameters which describe the characteristics of the porous medium and the permeating fluid and which, for unconsolidated isotropic granular media, are all measurable. A procedure is proposed for testing for the occurrence of turbulence and calculating the effective permeability when it occurs. The formulas are applied to a set of data from 588 permeameter runs ranging from laminar to highly turbulent. The equations fit the data from the permeameter closely through the laminar flow conditions and quite closely through the turbulent conditions. In the turbulent range, the plotting of the data separates into three distinct lines for each of the three shapes of particles used in the tests. For the porous medium and fluid of these tests, turbulence begins at a head gradient of about 0.1.     

A numerical method for two-phase flow in fractured porous media with non-matching grids

We propose a novel computational method for the efficient simulation of two-phase flow in fractured porous media. Instead of refining the grid to capture the flow along the faults or fractures, we represent the latter as immersed interfaces, using a reduced model for the flow and suitable coupling conditions. We allow for non matching grids between the porous matrix and the fractures to increase the flexibility of the method in realistic cases. We employ the extended finite element method for the Darcy problem and a finite volume method that is able to handle cut cells and matrix-fracture interactions for the saturation equation. Moreover, we address through numerical experiments the problem of the choice of a suitable numerical flux in the case of a discontinuous flux function at the interface between the fracture and the porous matrix. A wrong approximate solution of the Riemann problem can yield unphysical solutions even in simple cases.     

Temperature-driven fluid flow in porous media using a mixed finite element method and a finite volume method

We present a numerical scheme for the computation of conservative fluid velocity, pressure and temperature fields in a porous medium. For the velocity and pressure we use the primal–dual mixed finite element method of Trujillo and Thomas while for the temperature we use a cell-centered finite volume method. The motivation for this choice of discretization is to compute accurate conservative quantities. Since the variant of the mixed finite element method we use is not commonly used, the numerical schemes are presented in detail. We sketch the computational details and present numerical experiments that justify the accuracy predicted by the theory.     

Comparison of Galerkin-type discretization techniques for two-phase flow in heterogeneous porous media

A comparison of Standard Galerkin, Petrov-Galerkin, and Fully-Upwind Galerkin methods for the simulation of two-phase flow in heterogeneous porous media is presented. On the basis of the coupled pressure-saturation equations, a generalized formulation for all three finite element methods is derived and analysed. For flow in homogeneous media, the Petrov-Galerkin method gives excellent results. But this method fails miserably for problems with heterogeneous media. This is because it is not able to capture correctly processes that take place at interfaces when, for instance, the capillary pressure-saturation relationship after Brooks and Corey is assumed. The Fully-Upwind Galerkin method is superior to the Petrov-Galerkin approach because it is able to give correct results for flow in homogeneous and heterogeneous media for the two models of van Genuchten and Brooks-Corey. The widely used formulation which is correct for the homogeneous case cannot be used for heterogeneous media. Instead the straightforward approach of gradp_c in combination with a chord-slope technique must be utilized.     

流体饱和多孔隙介质二维弹性波方程正演模拟的小波有限元法

本文将小波有限元法引入到流体饱和多孔隙介质二维波动方程的正演模拟中,以二维Daubechies小波的尺度函数代替多项式函数作为插值函数,构造二维张量积小波单元.引入一类特征函数解决了Daubechies小波没有显式解析表达式所带来的基函数积分值计算问题,并推导出计算分数节点上Daubechies小波函数值的递推公式,从而构造出由小波系数空间到波场位移空间的快速小波变换.数值模拟结果表明该方法是有效的.     

Similarity solution of axisymmetric flow in porous media

Applications of the axisymmetric Boussinesq equation to groundwater hydrology and reservoir engineering have long been recognised. An archetypal example is invasion by drilling fluid into a permeable bed where there is initially no such fluid present, a circumstance of some importance in the oil industry. It is well known that the governing Boussinesq model can be reduced to a nonlinear ordinary differential equation using a similarity variable, a transformation that is valid for a certain time-dependent flux at the origin. Here, a new analytical approximation is obtained for this case. The new solution,, which has a simple form, is demonstrated to be highly accurate.     

Scale dependent dynamic capillary pressure effect for two-phase flow in porous media

Causes and effects of non-uniqueness in capillary pressure and saturation (P^c–S) relationship in porous media are of considerable concern to researchers of two-phase flow. In particular, a significant amounts of discussion have been generated regarding a parameter termed as dynamic coefficient (τ) which has been proposed for inclusion in the functional dependence of P^c–S relationship to quantify dynamic P^c and its relation with time derivative of saturation. While the dependence of the coefficient on fluid and porous media properties is less controversial, its relation to domain scale appears to be dependent on artefacts of experiments, mathematical models and the intra-domain averaging techniques. In an attempt to establish the reality of the scale dependency of the τ–S relationships, we carry out a series of well-defined laboratory experiments to determine τ–S relationships using three different sizes of cylindrical porous domains of silica sand. In this paper, we present our findings on the scale dependence of τ and its relation to high viscosity ratio (μ_r) silicone oil–water system, where μ_r is defined as the viscosity of non-wetting phase over that of the wetting phase. An order of magnitude increase in the value of τ was observed across various μ_r and domain scales. Also, an order of magnitude increase in τ is observed when τ at the top and the bottom sections in a domain are compared. Viscosity ratio and domain scales are found to have similar effects on the trend in τ–S relationship. We carry out a dimensional analysis of τ which shows how different variables, e.g., dimensionless τ and dimensionless domain volume (scale), may be correlated and provides a means to determine the influences of relevant variables on τ. A scaling relationship for τ was derived from the dimensionless analysis which was then validated against independent literature data. This showed that the τ–S relationships obtained from the literature and the scaling relationship match reasonably well.     

Random maze models of flow through porous media

Summary This paper discusses a class of stochastic models of flow through porous media in which the randomness is attached to the structure of the medium rather than to the flow path. These models are obtained by generalizing an earlier model available in the literature where a regular crystal was taken in which bonds (flow channels) were dammed in a random fashion, yielding a random maze. The hydraulic properties of general models of this type are calculated; in particular, it is shown that they exhibit the phenomenon of dispersion whereby the factor of dispersion turns out to be a linear function of the percolation velocity.     

Identifying the representative flow unit for capillary dominated two-phase flow in porous media using morphology-based pore-scale modeling

In this paper, we extend pore-morphology-based methods proposed by Hazlett (1995) and Hilpert and Miller (2001) to simulate drainage and imbibition in uniformly wetting porous media and add an (optional) entrapment of the (non-)wetting phase. By improving implementation, this method allows us to identify the statistical representative elementary volume and estimate uncertainty by computing fluid flow properties and saturation distributions of hundreds of subsamples within a reasonable time-frame. The method was utilized to study three different porous medium systems and results demonstrate that morphology-based pore-scale modeling is a viable approach to assess the representative elementary volume with respect to capillary dominated two-phase flow. The focus of this paper is the determination of the representative elementary volume for multiphase-flow properties for a digital representation of a rock.     

Coupling multiscale finite element method for consolidation analysis of heterogeneous saturated porous media

The multiscale finite element method is developed for solving the coupling problems of consolidation of heterogeneous saturated porous media under external loading conditions. Two sets of multiscale base functions are constructed, respectively, for the pressure field of fluid flow and the displacement field of solid skeleton. The coupling problems are then solved with a multiscale numerical procedure in space and time domain. The heterogeneities induced by permeabilities and mechanical parameters of the saturated porous media are both taken into account. Numerical experiments are carried out for different cases in comparison with the standard finite element method. The numerical results show that the coupling multiscale finite element method can be successfully used for solving the complicated coupling problems. It reduces greatly the computing effort in both memory and time for transient problems.