Multiscale simulations for upscaled multi-continuum flows

Abstract

We consider in this paper a challenging problem of simulating fluid flows, in complex multiscale media possessing multi-continuum background. As an effort to handle this obstacle, model reduction is employed. In a recent work by Park and Ha, homogenization was nicely applied, to find effective coefficients and homogenized equations (for fluid flow pressures) of a dual-continuum system, with new convection terms and negative interaction coefficients. However, some degree of multiscale still remains. This motivates us to propose a numerical strategy based on the generalized multiscale finite element method (GMsFEM) coupled with the dual-continuum homogenized equations, toward speeding up the simulation, improving the accuracy as well as clearly representing the interactions between the dual continua. In our paper, globally, each continuum is viewed as a system and connected to the other throughout the domain. We take into consideration the flow transfers between the dual continua and within each continuum itself. Such multiscale flow dynamics are modeled by the GMsFEM, which systematically generates either uncoupled or coupled multiscale basis (to carry the local characteristics to the global ones), via establishing local snapshots and spectral decomposition in the snapshot space. As a result, we will work with a system of two equations coupled with some interaction terms, and each equation describes one of the dual continua on the fine grid. Convergence analysis of the proposed scheme is accompanied with the numerical results, which support the favorable outcomes.