Coupling pore-scale networks to continuum-scale models of porous media

  • Authors:

  • Matthew T. Balhoff;Karsten E. Thompson;Martin Hjortsø

  • Affiliations:

  • Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge LA 70803, USA;Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge LA 70803, USA;Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge LA 70803, USA

  • Venue:
  • Computers & Geosciences
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

Network modeling is a useful tool for investigating pore-scale behavior and in some cases for determining macroscopic information such as permeability, relative permeability, and capillary pressure. Physically representative network models are particularly useful because quantitative and predictive results can be obtained. In the past, network models have been used as stand-alone tools for predicting flow behavior at the pore scale. In these cases, simple boundary conditions such as a pressure gradient in one direction are generally imposed on the network. However, with the increasing emphasis on multiscale modeling techniques, the real potential of network models is as a bridge from the pore to the continuum scale. In this context, continuum-scale and pore-scale models are used jointly; pore-scale behavior is upscaled and substituted into a continuum-scale simulator. Methods for integrating these techniques are being developed, and one important question is how to match boundary conditions for the two scales. In this work, physically representative network models created from computer-generated sphere packings are coupled to adjacent continuum-scale models. By coupling the two regions, realistic boundary conditions are enforced, which reflect the heterogeneity of the packed bed as well as the resistance of the adjacent medium. Results of the direct coupling show that both pore-scale phenomena and macroscopic behavior (such as flowrate) are significantly different than when these same parameters are obtained by implementing simple (decoupled) boundary conditions.