Electromagnetohydrodynamic (EMHD) two-phase fluid flow through a porous medium

Abstract

The study of the flow of an electrically conducting fluid through a porous medium under the influence of external electric and magnetic fields encompasses numerous engineering and scientific domains, including earth science, nuclear engineering and metallurgy. In geophysical sciences, knowledge of the electromagnetohydrodynamic (EMHD) two-phase flow in a porous medium is crucial for numerous applications, including CO2 sequestration operations and petroleum recovery processes where two-liquid flows are commonly encountered. The objective of this study is to model two-phase fluid flow through a rigid porous domain. In this framework, a numerical model is constructed to precisely characterize the thermal and flow characteristics of electromagnetohydrodynamic (EMHD) flow by incorporating the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, the momentum equation, and the energy equation. A set of transformations is employed to non-dimensionalize the governing second order nonlinear partial differential equations for each region. Subsequently, the equations are numerically solved utilizing the finite element method. An essential variable in this investigation is the Hartmann number (Ha), which represents the strength of the external magnetic field. The analysis reveals that the Hartmann number has a substantial impact on a number of flow parameters. The findings of this research contribute valuable insights to the understanding of EMHD flow in porous media, with potential applications in enhancing petroleum recovery processes.