On the upstream mobility scheme for two-phase flow in porous media

When neglecting capillarity, two-phase incompressible flow in porous media is modelled as a scalar nonlinear hyperbolic conservation law. A change in the rock type results in a change of the flux function. Discretising in one dimension with a finite volume method, we investigate two numerical fluxes, an extension of the Godunov flux and the upstream mobility flux, the latter being widely used in hydrogeology and petroleum engineering. Then, in the case of a changing rock type, one can give examples when the upstream mobility flux does not give the right answer.     

Comparing global and local implementations of nonlinear complementary problems for the modeling of multi-component two-phase flow with phase change phenomena

Compositional multiphase flow is considered to be one of the fundamental physical processes in the field of water resources research. The strong nonlinearity and discontinuity emerging from phase transition phenomena pose a serious challenge for numerical modeling. Recently, Lauser et al. (Adv Water Resour 34(8):957–966, 2011) have proposed a numerical scheme, namely the nonlinear complementary problem (NCP), to handle this strong nonlinearity. In this work, the NCP is implemented at both local and global levels of a finite element algorithm. In the former case, the NCP is integrated into the local thermodynamic equilibrium calculation, while in the latter one, it is formulated as one of the governing equations. The two different formulations have been investigated through three well-established benchmarks and analyzed for their efficiency and robustness. It is found that both globally and locally implemented NCP formulations are numerically more efficient and robust in comparison with traditional primary variable switching approach. In homogeneous media, the globally implemented NCP formulation leads to an approximately 20% faster simulation compared to the local NCP. This is because a nested Newton iteration for the local phase state identification can be avoided, and thus, the overall computational resources are saved accordingly. However, for problems involving strongly heterogeneous media, the locally integrated NCP formulation suppresses numerical oscillations and delivers more accurate and robust results, especially at the phase boundary.     

An adaptive mesh refinement algorithm for compressible two-phase flow in porous media

We describe a second-order accurate sequential algorithm for solving two-phase multicomponent flow in porous media. The algorithm incorporates an unsplit second-order Godunov scheme that provides accurate resolution of sharp fronts. The method is implemented within a block structured adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) framework that allows grids to dynamically adapt to features of the flow and enables efficient parallelization of the algorithm. We demonstrate the second-order convergence rate of the algorithm and the accuracy of the AMR solutions compared to uniform fine-grid solutions. The algorithm is then used to simulate the leakage of gas from a Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage cavern, demonstrating its capability to capture complex behavior of the resulting flow. We further examine differences resulting from using different relative permeability functions.     

Errors in the upstream mobility scheme for countercurrent two-phase flow in heterogeneous porous media

In reservoir simulation, the upstream mobility scheme is widely used for calculating fluid flow in porous media and has been shown feasible for flow when the porous medium is homogeneous. In the case of flow in heterogeneous porous media, the scheme has earlier been shown to give erroneous solutions in approximating pure gravity segregation. Here, we show that the scheme may exhibit larger errors when approximating flow in heterogeneous media for flux functions involving both advection and gravity segregation components. Errors have only been found in the case of countercurrent flow. The physically correct solution is approximated by an extension of the Godunov and Engquist–Osher flux. We also present a new finite volume scheme based on the local Lax–Friedrichs flux and test the performance of this scheme in the numerical experiments.     

A phase-by-phase upstream scheme that converges to the vanishing capillarity solution for countercurrent two-phase flow in two-rock media

We discuss the convergence of the upstream phase-by-phase scheme (or upstream mobility scheme) towards the vanishing capillarity solution for immiscible incompressible two-phase flows in porous media made of several rock types. Troubles in the convergence were recently pointed out by Mishra and Jaffré (Comput. Geosci. 14, 105–124, 2010) and Tveit and Aavatsmark (Comput. Geosci. 16, 809–825, 2012). In this paper, we clarify the notion of vanishing capillarity solution, stressing the fact that the physically relevant notion of solution differs from the one inferred from the results of Kaasschieter (Comput. Geosci. 3, 23–48, 1999). In particular, we point out that the vanishing capillarity solution depends on the formally neglected capillary pressure curves, as it was recently proven in by Andreianov and Cancès (Comput. Geosci. 17, 551–572, 2013). Then, we propose a numerical procedure based on the hybridization of the interfaces that converges towards the vanishing capillarity solution. Numerical illustrations are provided.     

水气二相流方程的一种离散数值解法

提出了水气二相流方程的一种数值解法.在利用有限元方法求解水气二相流方程时,引入了离散Newton迭代方法,用于非线性有限元方程组的线性化处理,将这一步计算的收敛阶由原有研究的线性收敛提高到平方收敛,并避免了直接应用Newton迭代方法给编程带来的不便.同时在求解两相的有限元方程组时,采用两相方程组并行迭代的方法,与联立计算相比节省了大量的内存空间.     

A GCV based method for nonlinear ill-posed problems

This paper discusses the inversion of nonlinear ill-posed problems. Such problems are solved through regularization and iteration and a major computational problem arises because the regularization parameter is not known a priori. In this paper we show that the regularization should be made up of two parts. A global regularization parameter is required to deal with the measurement noise, and a local regularization is needed to deal with the nonlinearity. We suggest the generalized cross validation (GCV) as a method to estimate the global regularization parameter and the damped Gauss-Newton to impose local regularization. Our algorithm is tested on the magnetotelluric problem. In the second part of this paper we develop a methodology to implement our algorithm on large-scale problems. We show that hybrid regularization methods can successfully estimate the global regularization parameter. Our algorithm is tested on a large gravimetric problem. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A dual-porosity model considering the displacement effect for incompressible two-phase flow

The dual-porosity model is usually employed to simulate the flow in fractured reservoirs. However, its original form for the multiphase flow does not consider the displacement effect under macropressure gradient. Especially for the incompressible multiphase flow, it predicts zero transfer term between fracture and matrix, which is unreasonable. To improve this, a modified double-porosity model is proposed for incompressible two-phase flow, in which the displacement effect is considered and the corresponding shape factor is derived. For the anisotropic case, the shape factor of displacement depends upon the velocity direction. The accuracy and the efficiency of the proposed dual-porosity model are indicated through numerical tests.     

A segregated flow scheme to control numerical dispersion for multi-component flow simulations

One of the challenges for reservoir simulation is numerical dispersion. For waterflooding applications the effect is controlled due to the self-sharpening nature of a Buckley–Leverett shock. However, for multi-component flow simulations, incorrect wavespeeds can develop leading to the excessive smearing of fronts because of the coupling of compositional dispersion with the fractional flow. Rather than implementing a higher-order discretization method, we propose a simple scheme based on segregation-in-flow within a gridblock to control numerical dispersion. We extend the method originally proposed for polymer flooding to augmented waterflooding simulations in general as well as simulations of miscible or near miscible gas injection. For compositional simulations of gas injection, this is done through a coupled limited-flash/upstream-exclusion assumption. To test the scheme, an in-house streamline simulator has been modified and validated for modeling low-salinity floods as well as ternary two-phase displacements. Simulation results presented with and without segregation demonstrate the potential of the approach as a heuristic method to control numerical dispersion in multi-component flow simulations.     

Uncertainty quantification of two-phase flow problems via measure theory and the generalized multiscale finite element method

The problem of multiphase phase flow in heterogeneous subsurface porous media is one involving many uncertainties. In particular, the permeability of the medium is an important aspect of the model that is inherently uncertain. Properly quantifying these uncertainties is essential in order to make reliable probabilistic-based predictions and future decisions. In this work, a measure-theoretic framework is employed to quantify uncertainties in a two-phase subsurface flow model in high-contrast media. Given uncertain saturation data from observation wells, the stochastic inverse problem is solved numerically in order to obtain a probability measure on the space of unknown permeability parameters characterizing the two-phase flow. As solving the stochastic inverse problem requires a number of forward model solves, we also incorporate the use of a conservative version of the generalized multiscale finite element method for added efficiency. The parameter-space probability measure is used in order to make predictions of saturation values where measurements are not available, and to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in the context of fine and coarse model solves. A number of numerical examples are offered to illustrate the measure-theoretic methodology for solving the stochastic inverse problem using both fine and coarse solution schemes.     

土工极限平衡问题的非线性有限元数值分析

考虑非关联流动法则,采用几类低阶单元对条形基础下地基的极限承载力进行了二维有限元数值分析.计算表明,基于四节点四边形等参单元的有限元分析结果能够较好地吻合Prandtl理论解,且能保证数值计算的稳定性.同时,基于Mohr-Coulomb破坏准则和强度折减方法,对于边坡稳定性进行了有限元计算,建议采用无量纲位移Eδmax/γH2随强度折减系数变化的关系曲线上位移陡然增大时所对应的强度折减系数作为边坡的稳定安全系数,克服了当前强度折减有限元数值计算中关于收敛标准确定的人为不确定性,即使采用四节点四边形单元也能够保证数值解的良好收敛性.     

A new locally conservative numerical method for two-phase flow in heterogeneous poroelastic media

We construct a new class of locally conservative numerical methods for two-phase immiscible flow in heterogeneous poroelastic media. Within the framework of the so-called iteratively coupled methods and fixed-stress split algorithm we develop mixed finite element methods for the flow and geomechanics subsystems which furnish locally conservative Darcy velocity and transient porosity input fields for the transport problem for the water saturation. Such hyperbolic equation is decomposed within an operator splitting technique based on a predictor–corrector scheme with the predictor step discretized by a higher-order non-oscillatory finite volume central scheme. The proposed scheme adopts an inhomogeneous dual mesh with variable cell size ruled by the local wave speed of propagation to compute numerical fluxes at cell edges. In the limit of small time steps the central scheme gives rise to a semidiscrete formulation for the water saturation capable of incorporating heterogeneous porosity fields and generalized flux functions including the water transport due to the solid phase velocity. Numerical simulations of a water-flooding problem in secondary oil recovery are presented for different realizations of the input random fields (permeability, Young modulus and initial porosity). Comparison between the accuracies of the proposed approach and the traditional one-way coupled hydro-geomechanical formulation are presented. The effects of the cross-correlation between the input random fields and compaction drive mechanism upon finger growth and breakthrough curves are also analyzed. A notable feature of the formulation proposed herein is the accurate prediction of the influence of geomechanical effects upon the unstable movement of the water front, whose evolution is dictated by rock heterogeneity and unfavorable viscosity ratio, without deteriorating the local conservative character of the numerical schemes.     

一维浅水流动方程的Godunov格式求解

以准确Riemann解为基础,建立了求解一维非平底浅水流动方程的Godunov格式,用"水位方程法(WaterLevel Formulation,WLF)"求解Riemann解,结合中心差分和Riemann解离散底坡项,保证了计算格式的和谐性.经算例验证,方法健全、通用,且分辨率高.     

A parallel global-implicit 2-D solver for reactive transport problems in porous media based on a reduction scheme and its application to the MoMaS benchmark problem

In this article, an approach for the efficient numerical solution of multi-species reactive transport problems in porous media is described. The objective of this approach is to reformulate the given system of partial and ordinary differential equations (PDEs, ODEs) and algebraic equations (AEs), describing local equilibrium, in such a way that the couplings and nonlinearities are concentrated in a rather small number of equations, leading to the decoupling of some linear partial differential equations from the nonlinear system. Thus, the system is handled in the spirit of a global implicit approach (one step method) avoiding operator splitting techniques, solved by Newton’s method as the basic algorithmic ingredient. The reduction of the problem size helps to limit the large computational costs of numerical simulations of such problems. If the model contains equilibrium precipitation-dissolution reactions of minerals, then these are considered as complementarity conditions and rewritten as semismooth equations, and the whole nonlinear system is solved by the semismooth Newton method.     

A local discontinuous Galerkin scheme for Darcy flow with internal jumps

We present a new version of the local discontinuous Galerkin method which is capable of dealing with jump conditions along a submanifold Γ_LG (i.e., Henry’s Law) in instationary Darcy flow. Our analysis accounts for a spatially and temporally varying, non-linear permeability tensor in all estimates which is also allowed to have a jump at Γ_LG and gives a convergence order result for the primary and the flux unknowns. In addition to this, different approximation spaces for the primary and the flux unknowns are investigated. The results imply that the most efficient choice is to choose the degree of the approximation space for the flux unknowns one less than that of the primary unknown. The only stabilization in the proposed scheme is represented by a penalty term in the primary unknown.     

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.     

The representer method for two-phase flow in porous media

The representer method is applied to a one-dimensional two-phase flow model in porous media; capillary pressure and gravity are neglected. The Euler–Lagrange equations must be linearized, and one such linearization is presented here. The representer method is applied to the linear system iteratively until convergence, though a rigorous proof of convergence is out of reach. The linearization chosen is easy to calculate but does not converge for certain weights; however, a simple damping restores convergence at the cost of extra iterations. Numerical experiments are performed that illustrate the method, and quick comparison to the ensemble Kalman smoother is made. This research was supported by NSF grant EIA-0121523.     

A virtual element method for the two-phase flow of immiscible fluids in porous media

A primal C⁰-conforming virtual element discretization for the approximation of the bidimensional two-phase flow of immiscible fluids in porous media using general polygonal meshes is discussed. This work investigates the potentialities of the Virtual Element Method (VEM) in solving this specific problem of immiscible fluids in porous media involving a time-dependent coupled system of non-linear partial differential equations. The performance of the fully discrete scheme is thoroughly analysed testing it on general meshes considering both a regular problem and more realistic benchmark problems that are of interest for physical and engineering applications.