Modeling of Flow and Transport in Saturated and Unsaturated Porous Media

Younès, Anis; Fahs, Marwan; Ackerer, Philippe

doi:10.3390/w13081088

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Accurate modeling of fluid flow in fractured formations is crucial for various environmental and energy applications, such as the oil recovery process in fractured reservoirs, geological CO2 sequestration, geothermal energy extraction, and water management (Cardona et al, 2021;Geiger et al, 2010;Hoteit et al, 2019;Hoteit & Firoozabadi, 2008a, 2008bVahrenkamp et al, 2020;Younes et al, 2021). Detailed geological characterization of fractured reservoirs has been commonly described by the discrete-fracture model (DFM), in which matrix and fractures are explicitly represented using unstructured grids.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A New Local-Global Upscaling Method for Flow Simulation in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

Alsinan

Kwak

et al. 2022

Day 3 Wed, February 23, 2022

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Explicit modeling of discrete fractures at the field scale is computationally intensive, and therefore, upscaling the fractures in the context of an equivalent continuum model is indispensable for field-scale simulations. This work introduces a new upscaling technique based on the local-global multiple-boundary (LG-MB) upscaling method for fluid flow in naturally fractured reservoirs. We extend the commonly-used local-global (LG) upscaling method by introducing a new approach to compute the fluid fluxes within the fractures crossing the grid-block boundaries. This method is based on the multiple-boundary (MB) approach applied within a local-global upscaling procedure. The global coarse-scale simulations are implemented to determine the boundary conditions for the calculations of local upscaled permeability. The procedure allows repeating the process to assure consistency between the global and local calculations. We implement the multi-point flux approximation (MPFA) finite volume method coupled with embedded discrete-fracture model within the MRST framework. We then verify the proposed LG-MB upscaling technique by comparing it with the reference fine-scale solutions and other existing local and local-global upscaling techniques. Results show that the proposed approach provides pronounced accuracy compared to local-based upscaled models with minor computational overhead. Compared to traditional local-global upscaling techniques, it provides more computational accuracy yet with the same efficiency. The superiority of the proposed LG-MB upscaling technique is attributed to two factors related to 1) the multiple-boundary technique to capture the flow behavior with high anisotropy from fractures non-alignment with the grid; 2) the use of local-global approach to accurately obtain the real flow boundary conditions. This work introduces a new upscaling method for flow simulation in naturally fractured reservoirs. We demonstrate its applicability in field applications and its superiority to existing upscaling methods. This method is accurate and straightforward and can be implemented within existing upscaling workflows.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A New Local-Global Upscaling Method for Flow Simulation in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

Alsinan

Kwak

et al. 2022

Day 3 Wed, February 23, 2022

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“…Numerical modeling enables evaluation and prediction of the results of MNA and ENA approaches: some numerical codes can be applied with this goal and the purpose of the code selection is to identify appropriate models to develop an Isotopic Fractionation-Reactive Transport Model (IF-RTMs) able to simulate MNA or ENA processes. In the literature, a variety of codes are able to reproduce reactive transport conditions is present [32][33][34][35]. Some implement analytical solutions, such as BIOCHLOR [19] and BIOSCREEN [36], while others are numerical codes, such as PHREEQC [37], PHT3D ( [38][39][40][41], which is a code coupling PHREEQC and MT3D [42] a solute transport code based on a MODFLOW [43]), RT3D [44], OpenGeoSys [45,46], TOUGHREACT [47], MIN3P [48][49][50] and many others.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of MNA in A Chlorinated Solvents-Contaminated Aquifer Using Reactive Transport Modeling Coupled with Isotopic Fractionation Analysis

Antelmi

Mazzon

Höhener

et al. 2021

Water

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Groundwater contamination by chlorinated hydrocarbons is a worldwide problem that poses important challenges in remediation processes. In Italy, the Legislative Decree 152/06 defines the water quality limits to be obtained during the cleanup process. In situ bioremediation techniques are becoming increasingly important due to their affordability and, under the right conditions, because they can be more effective than conventional methodologies. In the initial feasibility study phase, the numerical modeling supports the reliability of each technique. Two different codes, BIOCHLOR and PHREEQC were discussed and compared assuming different field conditions. Isotopic Fractionation-Reactive Transport Models were then developed in one synthetic and one simple field case. From the results, the two codes were in agreement and also able to demonstrate the Monitored Natural Attenuation processes occurring at the dismissed site located in Italy. Finally, the PHREEQC model was used to forecast the remediation time frame by MNA, hypothesizing a complete source cleanup: a remediation time frame of about 10–11 years was achieved by means of natural attenuation processes.

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