| Abstract: | An iterative method is presented for solving a fully coupled and implicit formulation of fluid flow in a porous medium. The mathematical model describes a set of fully coupled three-phase flow of compressible and immiscible fluids in a saturated oil reservoir. The finite element method is applied to obtain the simultaneous solution (SS) for the resulting highly non-linear partial differential equations where fluid pressures are the primary unknowns. The final discretized equations are solved iteratively by using a fully implicit numerical scheme. Several examples, illustrating the use of the present model, are described. The increased stability achieved with this scheme has permitted the use of larger time steps with smaller material balance errors. |
