Efficient solution for matrix-fracture flow with multiple interacting continua

An efficient numerical procedure for implementing the multiple interacting continua (MINC) method for fractured porous media in a general-purpose multiphase simulator is presented. This procedure is substantially faster, requires less memory, is amenable to any n-component, multiphase non-isothermal package, and is readily adaptable for parallel processing computers. The present procedure results in a reduction of the computing time by a factor of the order of NMINC³ as compared to the band algorithm, where NMINC is the number of nested continua into which each matrix block is further discretized. The memory requirement approaches a reduction factor of the order of NMINC² for larger problems compared to the band algorithm. The code for the algorithm was structured so as to set up the time consuming, but independent, computations for each matrix block in a subroutine that was parallelized and tested using a Sequent machine accessed under a UNIX environment. For NMINC=10, total computing time was reduced by 33 per cent for the use of two versus one processor, with the savings increasing for increasing NMINC. The proposed procedure can be implemented with the same ease and efficiency in conjunction with any iterative or direct method, and the grid-blocks can be ordered in any non-standard manner such as in D-4, D-2, and others. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Influence functions for stress and displacement discontinuity elements in an anisotropic medium

Influence functions, that permit us to determine stresses and displacements at an arbitrary point in an infinite, homogeneous, linear elastic, anisotropic medium due to different three-dimensional (3-D) stress or displacement discontinuities distributed on infinite, flat, band-type elements, are presented. Any straight-line segment on the band, which is perpendicular to its infinite side, has the same distribution of the discontinuities. Along with the functions, their Taylor series approximations are also provided. The last can be useful to analyse stresses and displacements at points distant from the elements. The functions allow us to avoid procedures of numerical integration in the Indirect Boundary Element Method and/or the Displacement Discontinuity Method computer codes that are able to solve complete plane-strain problems with 3-D boundary conditions for an elastic, anisotropic medium. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SILENT BOUNDARY CONDITIONS FOR WAVE PROPAGATION IN SATURATED POROUS MEDIA

Wave propagation both in one- and in two-dimensional saturated elastic porous media is analysed by means of a two-field finite element model with silent boundaries. An extension of the elastic ‘multidirectional’ transmitting boundary to two-phase media is developed to simulate the silent boundary condition. The theoretical assessment and the numerical formulation of the first-order silent boundary technique is presented in detail. Some examples are used to demonstrate the reliability of the first-order method, especially for problems with plane and axisymmetric waves having various angles of incidence. Finally, the wave propagation along a pile shaft is presented, to simulate a common non-destructive dynamic pile test.     

含气介质临界点、流体和骨架弹性参数的线性数值计算方法(英文)

临界孔隙度及其孔隙介质的研究均为测试分析的实验方法,如何运用数值计算方法求取孔隙流体介质临界点、流体和骨架的弹性参数是备受关注的课题。本文提出了求取临界点、流体和骨架弹性参数的数值计算公式及方法,并结合含气样品测试数据实现了这种数值计算。首先,基于孔隙度≯为白变量,而密度ρ,密度与横波速度平方的乘积ρVs^2和密度与纵波速度平方的乘积ρVp^2均为函数的三个线性方程,从每个线性方程中的两个系数的有机组合得到求取有关弹性参的线性数值计算公式。然后,详细阐述了数值计算的步骤和方法以及需要注意的问题,把室内含气砂岩数的线性数值计算公式。然后,详细阐述了数值计算的步骤和方法以及需要注意的问题,把室内含气砂岩样品测试的整体介质密度、纵波速度和横波速度作为数值计算的输入数据,求取了临界点和流体及骨架共计11个弹性参数的具体数值。通过数学方法的计算数据与实验方法的测试数据的比较分析,表明了本文数值计算公式的正确性和实现方法的有效性。本文提出的求取含气介质临界点、流体和骨架弹性参数的“数值计算公式及方法”含义清晰且形式简洁,为孔隙流体介质的数值计算分析和流体属性研究提供了可能的新方法。     

VOODOO,ZOMBIES, AND MERMAIDS: U.S. NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF HAITI*

ABSTRACT. Newspaper articles in the United States paint a picture of Haiti as a failed state, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. These articles place the blame of the country's problems entirely on Haiti itself, with little regard for the outside forces that also contributed to the country's present‐day state. This study is a critical geopolitical analysis of Haitian representation in U.S. newspapers. I empirically examine a year's worth of articles from 2004 written in five major U.S. newspapers. From these articles I analyze both the words used to describe Haiti and the emerging media frames. Critical studies have shown that representation in the media can greatly impact the conventional wisdom surrounding a place and legitimize social inequalities. By understanding the images used to describe Haiti, I hope to develop a means of rethinking popular perceptions of the country. I argue that only then can the problems of Haiti be more effectively addressed and a new dialogue created, one that encompasses the entire story of this Caribbean country.     

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.     

A stochastic model for air injection into saturated porous media

Air injection into porous media is investigated by laboratory experiments and numerical modelling. Typical applications of air injection into a granular bed are aerated bio-filters and air sparging of aquifers. The first stage of the dynamic process consists of air injection into a fixed or a quasi-fixed water-saturated granular bed. Later stages could include stages of movable beds as well, but are not further investigated here. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted in a two-dimensional box of the size 60 cm × 38 cm × 0.55 cm consisting of glass walls and using glass beads of diameter 0.4–0.6 mm as granular material. The development of the air flow pattern was optically observed and registered using a digital video camera. The resulting transient air flow pattern can be characterized as channelled flow in a fixed porous medium with dynamic tree-like evolution behaviour. Attempts are undertaken to model the air injection process. Multiphase pore-scale modelling is currently disregarded since it is restricted to very small scales. Invasion percolation models taking into account gravity effects are usually restricted to slow processes. On the other hand a continuum-type two-phase flow modelling approach is not able to simulate the observed air flow pattern. Instead a stochastic continuum-type approach is discussed here, which incorporates pore-scale features on a subscale, relevant for the immiscible processes involved. Consequently, the physical process can be modelled in a stochastic manner only, where the single experiment represents one of many possible realizations. However, the present procedure retains realistic water and air saturation patterns and therefore produces similar finger lengths and widths as observed in the experiments. Monte Carlo type modelling leads to ensemble mean water saturation and the related variance.     

Statistical fusion of two-scale images of porous media

The reconstruction of the architecture of void space in porous media is a challenging task, since porous media contain pore structures at multiple scales. Whereas past methods have been limited to producing samples with matching statistical behavior, the patterns of grey-level values in a measured sample actually say something about the unresolved details, thus we propose a statistical fusion framework for reconstructing high-resolution porous media images from low-resolution measurements. The proposed framework is based on a posterior sampling approach in which information obtained by low-resolution (MRI or X-ray) measurements is combined with prior models inferred from high-resolution microscopic data, typically 2D. In this paper, we focus on two-scale reconstruction tasks in which the measurements resolve only the large scale structures, leaving the small-scale to be inferred. The evaluation of the results generated by the proposed method shows the strong ability of the proposed method in reconstructing fine-scale structures positively correlated with the underlying ground truth. Comparing our method with the recent method of Okabe and Blunt [12], in which the measurements are also used in the reconstruction, we conclude that our method is more robust to the resolution of the measurement, and more closely matches the underlying fine-scale field.