Jan M. Nordbotten

Jan M. Nordbotten, Wietse M. Boon, Alessio Fumagalli et al.

In this paper, we introduce a mortar-based approach to discretizing flow in fractured porous media, which we term the mixed-dimensional flux coupling scheme. Our formulation is agnostic to the discretizations used to discretize the fluid flow equations in the porous medium and in the fractures, and as such it represents a unified approach to integrated fractured geometries into any existing discretization framework. In particular, several existing discretization approaches for fractured porous media can be seen as special instances of the approach proposed herein. We provide an abstract stability theory for our approach, which provides explicit guidance into the grids used to discretize the fractures and the porous medium, as dependent on discretization methods chosen for the respective domains. The theoretical results are sustained by numerical examples, wherein we utilize our framework to simulate flow in 2D and 3D fractured media using control volume methods (both two-point and multi-point flux), Lagrangian finite element methods, mixed finite element methods, and virtual element methods. As expected, regardless of the ambient methods chosen, our approach leads to stable and convergent discretizations for the fractured problems considered, within the limits of the discretization schemes.

Manuel Borregales, Florin A. Radu, Kundan Kumar et al.

We consider a non-linear extension of Biot's model for poromechanics, wherein both the fluid flow and mechanical deformation are allowed to be non-linear. We perform an implicit discretization in time (backward Euler) and propose two iterative schemes for solving the non-linear problems appearing within each time step: a splitting algorithm extending the undrained split and fixed stress methods to non-linear problems, and a monolithic L-scheme. The convergence of both schemes is shown rigorously. Illustrative numerical examples are presented to confirm the applicability of the schemes and validate the theoretical results.

Antoine Tambue, Inga Berre, Jan M. Nordbotten

Simulation of geothermal systems is challenging due to coupled physical processes in highly heterogeneous media. Combining the exponential Rosenbrock--Euler and Rosenbrock-type methods with control-volume (two-point flux approximation) space discretizations leads to efficient numerical techniques for simulating geothermal systems. In terms of efficiency and accuracy, the exponential Rosenbrock--Euler time integrator has advantages over standard time-dicretization schemes, which suffer from time-step restrictions or excessive numerical diffusion when advection processes are dominating. Based on linearization of the equation at each time step, we make use of matrix exponentials of the Jacobian from the spatial discretization, which provide the exact solution in time for the linearized equations. This is at the expense of computing the matrix exponentials of the stiff Jacobian matrix, together with propagating a linearized system. However, using a Krylov subspace or Leja points techniques make these computations efficient. The Rosenbrock-type methods use the appropriate rational functions of the Jacobian from the spatial discretization. The parameters in these schemes are found in consistency with the required order of convergence in time. As a result, these schemes are A-stable and only a few linear systems are solved at each time step. The efficiency of the methods compared to standard time-discretization techniques are demonstrated in numerical examples.

Ingeborg G. Gjerde, Kundan Kumar, Jan M. Nordbotten et al.

In this paper, we study the mathematical structure and numerical approximation of elliptic problems posed in a (3D) domain $Ω$ when the right-hand side is a (1D) line source $Λ$. The analysis and approximation of such problems is known to be non-standard as the line source causes the solution to be singular. Our main result is a splitting theorem for the solution; we show that the solution admits a split into an explicit, low regularity term capturing the singularity, and a high-regularity correction term $w$ being the solution of a suitable elliptic equation. The splitting theorem states the mathematical structure of the solution; in particular, we find that the solution has anisotropic regularity. More precisely, the solution fails to belong to $H^1$ in the neighbourhood of $Λ$, but exhibits piecewise $H^2$-regularity parallel to $Λ$. The splitting theorem can further be used to formulate a numerical method in which the solution is approximated via its correction function $w$. This approach has several benefits. Firstly, it recasts the problem as a 3D elliptic problem with a 3D right-hand side belonging to $L^2$, a problem for which the discretizations and solvers are readily available. Secondly, it makes the numerical approximation independent of the discretization of $Λ$; thirdly, it improves the approximation properties of the numerical method. We consider here the Galerkin finite element method, and show that the singularity subtraction then recovers optimal convergence rates on uniform meshes, i.e., without needing to refine the mesh around each line segment. The numerical method presented in this paper is therefore well-suited for applications involving a large number of line segments. We illustrate this by treating a dataset (consisting of $\sim 3000$ line segments) describing the vascular system of the brain.

David Landa-Marbán, Florin A. Radu, Jan M. Nordbotten

The focus of this paper is the derivation of a non-standard model for microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) that includes the interfacial area (IFA) between the oil and water. We consider the continuity equations for water and oil, a balance equation for the oil-water interface and advective-dispersive transport equations for bacteria, nutrients and surfactants. Surfactants lower the interfacial tension (IFT), which improves the oil recovery. Therefore, we include in the model parameterizations of the IFT reduction and residual oil saturation as a function of the surfactant concentration. We consider for the first time in context of MEOR, the role of IFA in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The motivation to include the IFA in the model is to reduce the hysteresis in the capillary pressure relationship, include the effects of observed bacteria migration towards the oil-water interface and biological production of surfactants at the oil-water interface. An efficient and robust linearization scheme was implemented, in which we use an implicit scheme that considers a linear approximation of the capillary pressure gradient, resulting in an efficient and stable scheme. A comprehensive, 2D implementation based on two-point flux approximation (TPFA) has been achieved. Illustrative numerical simulations are presented. We give an explanation of the differences in the oil recovery profiles obtained when we consider the IFA and MEOR effects. The model can also be used to design new experiments in order to gain a better understanding and optimization of MEOR.

Jakub W. Both, Kundan Kumar, Jan M. Nordbotten et al.

Mathematical models for flow and reactive transport in porous media often involve non-linear, degenerate parabolic equations. Their solutions have low regularity, and therefore lower order schemes are used for the numerical approximation. Here the backward Euler method is combined with a mixed finite element method scheme, which results in a stable and locally mass-conservative scheme. At the same time, at each time step one has to solve a non-linear algebraic system, for which linear iterations are needed. Finding robust and convergent ones is particularly challenging here, since both slow and fast diffusion cases are allowed. Commonly used schemes, like Newton and Picard iterations, are defined either for non-degenerate problems, or after regularising the problem in the case of degenerate ones. Convergence is guaranteed only if the initial guess is sufficiently close to the solution, which translates into severe restrictions on the time step. Here we discuss a linear iterative scheme which builds on the $L$-scheme, and does not employ any regularisation. We prove its rigourous convergence, which is obtained for mild restrictions on the time step. Finally, we give numerical results confirming the theoretical ones, and compare the behaviour of the scheme with other schemes.

Wietse M. Boon, Jan M. Nordbotten

We consider mechanics of composite materials in which thin inclusions are modeled by lower-dimensional manifolds. By successively applying the dimensional reduction to junctions and intersections within the material, a geometry of hierarchically connected manifolds is formed which we refer to as mixed-dimensional. The governing equations with respect to linear elasticity are then defined on this mixed-dimensional geometry. The resulting system of partial differential equations is also referred to as mixed-dimensional, since functions defined on domains of multiple dimensionalities are considered in a fully coupled manner. With the use of a semi-discrete differential operator, we obtain the variational formulation of this system in terms of both displacements and stresses. The system is then analyzed and shown to be well-posed with respect to appropriately weighted norms. Numerical discretization schemes are proposed using well-known mixed finite elements in all dimensions. The schemes conserve linear momentum locally while relaxing the symmetry condition on the stress tensor. Stability and convergence are shown using a priori error estimates.

Wietse M. Boon, Jan M. Nordbotten, Ivan Yotov

Flow in fractured porous media represents a challenge for discretization methods due to the disparate scales and complex geometry. Herein we propose a new discretization, based on the mixed finite element method and mortar methods. Our formulation is novel in that it employs the normal fluxes as the mortar variable within the mixed finite element framework, resulting in a formulation that couples the flow in the fractures with the surrounding domain with a strong notion of mass conservation. The proposed discretization handles complex, non-matching grids, and allows for fracture intersections and termination in a natural way, as well as spatially varying apertures. The discretization is applicable to both two and three spatial dimensions. A priori analysis shows the method to be optimally convergent with respect to the chosen mixed finite element spaces, which is sustained by numerical examples.