Efficient block preconditioners for the coupled equations of pressure and deformation in highly discontinuous media

Large‐scale simulations of flow in deformable porous media require efficient iterative methods for solving the involved systems of linear algebraic equations. Construction of efficient iterative methods is particularly challenging in problems with large jumps in material properties, which is often the case in geological applications, such as basin evolution at regional scales. The success of iterative methods for this type of problems depends strongly on finding effective preconditioners. This paper investigates how the block‐structured matrix system arising from single‐phase flow in elastic porous media should be preconditioned, in particular for highly discontinuous permeability and significant jumps in elastic properties. The most promising preconditioner combines algebraic multigrid with a Schur complement‐based exact block decomposition. The paper compares numerous block preconditioners with the aim of providing guidelines on how to formulate efficient preconditioners. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.