A boundary integral method for steady flow in unsaturated porous media

The governing equation for steady flow in a homogeneous, partially saturated, porous medium can be written in a linear form if one adopts a hydraulic conductivity function which varies exponentially with capillary-pressure head. The resulting linear field equation is a steady Fokker–Planck equation and is well-suited to numerical solution by the boundary integral equation method (BIEM). The exponential conductivity function is often used in soil physics and is known to be a reasonable approximation over limited ranges of pressure head. A computer code based on the BIEM for obtaining numerical solutions is described and tested. The BIEM is found to exhibit quadratic convergence with element size reduction on smooth solutions and on singular problems, if mesh grading is used. Agreement between results from the BIEM code and a finite element code that solves the fully non-linear problem is excellent, and is achieved at a substantial advantage in computer processing time. As an illustrative example, the code is applied to determine the distribution of moisture in the vicinity of a tunnel.     

A pore-scale numerical model for flow through porous media

A pore-scale numerical model based on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) is described for modelling fluid flow phenomena in porous media. Originally developed for astrophysics applications, SPH is extended to model incompressible flows of low Reynolds number as encountered in groundwater flow systems. In this paper, an overview of SPH is provided and the required modifications for modelling flow through porous media are described, including treatment of viscosity, equation of state, and no-slip boundary conditions. The performance of the model is demonstrated for two-dimensional flow through idealized porous media composed of spatially periodic square and hexagonal arrays of cylinders. The results are in close agreement with solutions obtained using the finite element method and published solutions in the literature. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A model for moisture and heat flow in fractured unsaturated porous media

The present study investigates propagation of a cohesive crack in non‐isothermal unsaturated porous medium under mode I conditions. Basic points of skeleton deformation, moisture, and heat transfer for unsaturated porous medium are presented. Boundary conditions on the crack surface that consist of mechanical interaction of the crack and the porous medium, water, and heat flows through the crack are taken into consideration. For spatial discretization, the extended finite element method is used. This method uses enriched shape functions in addition to ordinary shape functions for approximation of displacement, pressure, and temperature fields. The Heaviside step function and the distance function are exploited as enrichment functions for representing the crack surfaces displacement and the discontinuous vertical gradients of the pressure and temperature fields along the crack, respectively. For temporal discretization, backward finite difference scheme is applied. Problems solved from the literature show the validity of the model as well as the dependency of structural response on the material properties and loading. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adaptive methods to solve free boundary problems of flow through porous media

Grid adaptive methods combined with domain adaptation are discussed for two-dimensional seepage flow problems with free boundaries through porous media. Examples of grid and domain adaptive methods are presented to demonstrate several ways to predict grids and shapes of free boundaries using an iterative scheme. Finally, the combined adaptive methods are applied to obtain smooth non-oscillatory shape of a free boundary of seepage flow through non-homogeneous porous media.     

A comparison of multiscale methods for elliptic problems in porous media flow

We review and perform comparison studies for three recent multiscale methods for solving elliptic problems in porous media flow; the multiscale mixed finite-element method, the numerical subgrid upscaling method, and the multiscale finite-volume method. These methods are based on a hierarchical strategy, where the global flow equations are solved on a coarsened mesh only. However, for each method, the discrete formulation of the partial differential equations on the coarse mesh is designed in a particular fashion to account for the impact of heterogeneous subgrid structures of the porous medium. The three multiscale methods produce solutions that are mass conservative on the underlying fine mesh. The methods may therefore be viewed as efficient, approximate fine-scale solvers, i.e., as an inexpensive alternative to solving the elliptic problem on the fine mesh. In addition, the methods may be utilized as an alternative to upscaling, as they generate mass-conservative solutions on the coarse mesh. We therefore choose to also compare the multiscale methods with a state-of-the-art upscaling method – the adaptive local–global upscaling method, which may be viewed as a multiscale method when coupled with a mass-conservative downscaling procedure. We investigate the properties of all four methods through a series of numerical experiments designed to reveal differences with regard to accuracy and robustness. The numerical experiments reveal particular problems with some of the methods, and these will be discussed in detail along with possible solutions. Next, we comment on implementational aspects and perform a simple analysis and comparison of the computational costs associated with each of the methods. Finally, we apply the three multiscale methods to a dynamic two-phase flow case and demonstrate that high efficiency and accurate results can be obtained when the subgrid computations are made part of a preprocessing step and not updated, or updated infrequently, throughout the simulation. The research is funded by the Research Council of Norway under grant nos. 152732 and 158908.     

Multiscale finite-volume formulation for multiphase flow in porous media: black oil formulation of compressible,three-phase flow with gravity

Most practical reservoir simulation studies are performed using the so-called black oil model, in which the phase behavior is represented using solubilities and formation volume factors. We extend the multiscale finite-volume (MSFV) method to deal with nonlinear immiscible three-phase compressible flow in the presence of gravity and capillary forces (i.e., black oil model). Consistent with the MSFV framework, flow and transport are treated separately and differently using a sequential implicit algorithm. A multiscale operator splitting strategy is used to solve the overall mass balance (i.e., the pressure equation). The black-oil pressure equation, which is nonlinear and parabolic, is decomposed into three parts. The first is a homo geneous elliptic equation, for which the original MSFV method is used to compute the dual basis functions and the coarse-scale transmissibilities. The second equation accounts for gravity and capillary effects; the third equation accounts for mass accumulation and sources/ sinks (wells). With the basis functions of the elliptic part, the coarse-scale operator can be assembled. The gravity/capillary pressure part is made up of an elliptic part and a correction term, which is computed using solutions of gravity-driven local problems. A particular solution represents accumulation and wells. The reconstructed fine-scale pressure is used to compute the fine-scale phase fluxes, which are then used to solve the nonlinear saturation equations. For this purpose, a Schwarz iterative scheme is used on the primal coarse grid. The framework is demonstrated using challenging black-oil examples of nonlinear compressible multiphase flow in strongly heterogeneous formations.     

A numerical model for nonlinear large deformation dynamic analysis of unsaturated porous media including hydraulic hysteresis

A numerical model based on the theory of mixtures is proposed for the nonlinear dynamic analysis of flow and deformation in unsaturated porous media. Starting from the conservation laws, the governing differential equations and the finite element incremental approximations suitable for nonlinear large deformation static and dynamic analyses are derived within the updated Lagrangian framework. The coupling between solid and fluid phases is enforced according to the effective stress principle taking suction dependency of the effective stress parameter into account. The effect of hydraulic hysteresis on the effective stress parameter and soil water characteristic curve is also taken into account. The application of the approach is demonstrated through numerical analyses of several fundamental nonlinear problems and the results are compared to the relevant analytical solutions. The effects of suction, large deformations and hydraulic hysteresis on static and dynamic response of unsaturated soils are particularly emphasized.     

复杂水力路径下非饱和流动的数值分析

多孔介质中的流动问题,与孔隙介质的特性,含水量状态以及含水量的变化历史密切相关。基于毛细循环滞回理论模型,考虑含水量变化历史对土水特征关系的影响,在开发的U-DYSAC2有限元程序中进行了相应的数值实施。在试验给定的初边值条件下进行了非饱和渗流模拟分析,并将模拟结果与实测数据比较,表明在压力边界条件反复变化下,考虑滞回效应能获得更接近实测的结果,证实该模型在模拟各种循环变化条件下非饱和土渗流初边值问题的适用性与必要性。对入渗重分布反复变化条件下非饱和土柱流动的数值模拟表明,考虑滞回与不考虑滞回条件下,含水量、孔隙水压力和湿峰的迁移的预测在入渗后的重分布过程差异较大。考虑滞回效应时,土柱上部的脱湿速率、下部的吸湿速率比不考虑滞回时要低。从而证实了非饱和多孔介质中的土水状态依赖于含水量变化,而且强烈依赖于土体的水力路径变化。因此,循环边界条件变化下,毛细滞回效应在非饱和渗流模拟中的影响显著,必须加以考虑。     

饱和水流溶质运移问题数值解法综述

本文总结了饱和水流中溶质运移方程求解的各种数值方法，分析各种方法的本质特征以及各自的优缺点，并指出了求解对流—弥散方程的各种数值方法的研究进展和值得重视的问题。研究结果表明，自适应欧拉—拉格朗日法(EM)是溶质运移问题中，求解对流—弥散方程是比较有发展潜力的方法之一。以MMOC法为基础在陡峰值高价插值和其它区域低价插值相结合的ELM法，将是未来发展的趋势。而寻求非规则网格上高精度的空间单元插值模式，已开始成为求解对流问题数值方法研究的重点和关键问题。     

A two level scaling-up method for multiphase flow in porous media; numerical validation and comparison with other methods

We present a robust and accurate strategy for upscaling two-phase flow in heterogeneous porous media composed of different rock-types. The method is tested by means of numerical simulations and compared with other upscaling methods.     

多孔介质随机参数的相关性对非饱和水流的影响

基于van Genuchten-Mualem非饱和水分特征模型,建立了非饱和流运动的随机数值模型。将饱和水力传导度和孔隙大小分布参数视为服从对数正态分布的随机场,用Karhunen-Loeve展开分解,水头表示为混沌多项式展开。通过摄动方法得到一系列关于水头展开的偏微分方程,并用有限差分法进行求解。应用本文的模型分析了两随机场在统计不相关和完全相关模式下对水流随机分析的影响,结果表明两种模式下的水头均值相同,完全相关模式下的水头标准差较不相关模式下的明显偏小。     

Isogeometric analysis for unsaturated flow problems

Unsaturated flow problems in porous media often described by Richards’ equation are of great importance in many engineering applications. In this contribution, we propose a new numerical flow approach based on isogeometric analysis (IGA) for modeling the unsaturated flow problems. The non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) basis is utilized for spatial discretization whereas the stable implicit backward Euler method for time discretization. The nonlinear Richards’ equation is iteratively solved with the aid of the Newton–Raphson scheme. Owing to some desirable features of an efficient numerical flow approach, major advantages of the present formulation involve: (a) numerical oscillation at the wetting front can be avoided or facilitated, simply by using either an h-refinement or a lumped mass matrix technique; (b) higher-order exactness can be obtained due to the nature of the IGA features; (c) the approach is straightforward to implement and it does not need any transformation, e.g., Kirchhoff transformation or filter algorithm; and (d) in contrast to the Picard iteration scheme, which forms linear convergences, the proposed approach can however yield quadratic convergences by using the Newton–Raphson method for solving resultant nonlinear equations. Numerical model validation is analyzed by solving a three-dimensional unsaturated flow problem in soil, and its derived results are verified against analytical solutions. Numerical applications are then studied by considering three extensive examples with simple and complex configurations to further show the accuracy and applicability of the present IGA.     

单层非饱和多孔介质一维瞬态响应半解析解

基于Zienkiewicz提出的非饱和多孔介质波动理论,考虑两相流体和固体颗粒的压缩性以及惯性、黏滞和机械耦合作用,采用半解析的方法获得了一类典型边界条件下单层非饱和多孔介质一维瞬态响应解。首先推导出无量纲化后以位移表示的控制方程,并将其写成矩阵形式;然后,将边界条件齐次化,求解控制方程所对应的特征值问题,得到了满足齐次边界条件的特征值和相对应的特征函数。根据变异系数法并利用特征函数的正交性,得到了一系列仅黏滞耦合的关于时间的二阶常微分方程及相应的初始条件。在此基础上,运用精细时程积分法给出了常微分方程组的数值解。最后,通过若干算例验证了结果的正确性并探讨了单层非饱和多孔介质一维瞬态动力响应的特点。该方法可推广应用于其他典型的边界条件。     

Equations of frost propagation in unsaturated porous media

The equations of soil freezing are established where the soil is partially water-saturated, i.e., when it contains air. We choose a macroscopic viewpoint, using leveled parameters (averages on a “small” volume surrounding the considered point). We assume that water can exist at a temperature below 0°C. Mechanical energy (kinetic energy and power of inner forces) is neglected with respect to thermal energy; radiation is also neglected. The establishment of the equations is based upon the expression (1) of the mass and energy conservation laws; and (2) of constitutive laws such as Fourier's law, Darcy's law, the curve of capillary pressure in terms of the saturation degree, etc.

We obtain a system of nonlinear partial differential equations with a free surface; the unknowns are the temperature, the saturation degree and the water pressure at each point and at each time; these unknowns are coupled in the differential equations.     

Numerical solutions for flow in porous media

A numerical approach is proposed to model the flow in porous media using homogenization theory. The proposed concept involves the analyses of micro‐true flow at pore‐level and macro‐seepage flow at macro‐level. Macro‐seepage and microscopic characteristic flow equations are first derived from the Navier–Stokes equation at low Reynolds number through a two‐scale homogenization method. This homogenization method adopts an asymptotic expansion of velocity and pressure through the micro‐structures of porous media. A slightly compressible condition is introduced to express the characteristic flow through only characteristic velocity. This characteristic flow is then numerically solved using a penalty FEM scheme. Reduced integration technique is introduced for the volumetric term to avoid mesh locking. Finally, the numerical model is examined using two sets of permeability test data on clay and one set of permeability test data on sand. The numerical predictions agree well with the experimental data if constraint water film is considered for clay and two‐dimensional cross‐connection effect is included for sand. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A semi-implicit method for incompressible three-phase flow in porous media

In this paper, we present a semi-implicit method for the incompressible three-phase flow equations in two dimensions. In particular, a high-order discontinuous Galerkin spatial discretization is coupled with a backward Euler discretization in time. We consider a pressure-saturation formulation, decouple the pressure and saturation equations, and solve them sequentially while still keeping each equation implicit in its respective unknown. We present several numerical examples on both homogeneous and heterogeneous media, with varying permeability and porosity. Our results demonstrate the robustness of the scheme. In particular, no slope limiters are required and a relatively large time step may be taken.     

Ozonation of diesel fuel in unsaturated porous media

The objectives of this study were to determine the feasibility of ozonation in unsaturated porous media, and consequently to observe its features and to identify possible limiting factors. Diesel fuel was chosen to represent a complex organic contaminant that is widespread in the environment. In this experiment, the effects of several ozonation features were investigated. Sand was spiked with commercially available diesel fuel (17.024 g diesel/kg dry sand), and packed into a column. Ozone was supplied into the column in a downward direction. When the sand was treated for 7 h at 20 mg ozone/l of air, 40% of the diesel was removed. As the ozone concentration increased from 5 to 20 mg ozone/l, the removal efficiency increased. The removal rate varied significantly depending on the ozone concentration and the treatment duration. At higher ozone concentration, significant quantities of ozone were consumed by the intermediates produced by the ozonation process, and therefore, the removal efficiency and the apparent removal rate of diesel became lowered. The low removal efficiency of diesel results from the high concentrations of normal alkanes. Total hydrocarbon concentration (THC) in the effluent gas was measured using a total hydrocarbon analyzer. The THC decreased with the period of exposure and increasing ozone concentration. Ozonation decreased the gas-extractable fraction and accordingly, the THC decreased. Water-extractable fractions formed by the action of ozone were further oxidized by ozone. Due to the reduction of WEOC (water-extractable organic C) caused by ozone treatment, the potential spread of contamination can be reduced.     

Node-centered finite volume discretizations for the numerical simulation of multiphase flow in heterogeneous porous media

Three node-centered finite volume discretizations for multiphase porous media flow are presented and compared. By combination of these methods two additional discretization methods are generated. The ability of these schemes to describe flows at textural interfaces of different geologic formations is investigated. It was found that models with nonzero-entry pressures for the capillary pressure-saturation relationship in conjunction with the Box discretization may give rise to spurious oscillations for flows around low permeable lenses. Furthermore, the applicability and sensitivity of the discretization methods with regard to the used computational grids is discussed. The schemes are used for the numerical study of two-phase flow in porous media with zones of different material properties. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A robust method to tackle pressure boundary conditions in porous media flow: application to biogrout

Biogrout is a soil improvement method in which microorganisms are used to produce the solid calcium carbonate, which strengthens the soil by connecting soil particles. Microorganisms in the soil are supplied with some nutrients, which they convert into calcium carbonate. These nutrients and the side product of the reaction are dissolved in water. Because of these chemicals, the fluid is denser than water. Moreover, the density changes as a result of the varying composition. This changing density has a significant impact on the flow. Since the composition and hence, the density is not known beforehand, a careful choice of the (pressure) boundary conditions, especially on the outflow boundary, is needed. In this article, several methods to approximate the pressure on the outflow boundary are compared. The method that we propose also works for an unstructured mesh, which gives a large freedom in the mesh generation.