Development of a new computational solver for multiphase flows in heterogeneous porous media at different scales

Abstract

This work presents the development of a novel solver tailored for simulating multiphase flows within heterogeneous porous media. Leveraging the Eulerian multi-fluid model coupled with Darcy’s law, the solver demonstrates adaptability across diverse scales, effectively handling heterogeneous porosity and permeability fields. The proposed solver, called upstreamFoam, extends the capabilities of OpenFOAM framework, specifically the multiphaseEulerFoam, by incorporating models for porous media simulations. This integration introduces new features and formulations, allowing for the simulation of compressible multiphase flows in porous media with intricate properties. The approach presented here provides a robust framework for characterizing reservoirs and treating heterogeneous porous systems at different scales. A successful validation of the introduced solver for classical problems with analytical, semi-analytical, and reference solutions is presented. Then, applications on a wide range of multiphase flows in heterogeneous porous media at different scales have been studied, demonstrating the potential of the solver to simulate complex multiphase problems.