Tracking interface and common curve dynamics for two-fluid flow in porous media

The movements of fluid–fluid interfaces and the common curve are an important aspect of two-fluid-phase flow through porous media. The focus of this work is to develop, apply and evaluate methods to simulate two-fluid-phase flow in porous medium systems at the microscale and to demonstrate how these...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fluid mechanics 2016-06, Vol.796, p.211-232
Main Authors: McClure, J. E., Berrill, M. A., Gray, W. G., Miller, C. T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Boundary conditions
Computer simulation
contact lines
Fluid flow
Fluid mechanics
MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
multiphase flow
Porous materials
Porous media
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The movements of fluid–fluid interfaces and the common curve are an important aspect of two-fluid-phase flow through porous media. The focus of this work is to develop, apply and evaluate methods to simulate two-fluid-phase flow in porous medium systems at the microscale and to demonstrate how these results can be used to support evolving macroscale models. Of particular concern is the problem of spurious velocities that confound the accurate representation of interfacial dynamics in such systems. To circumvent this problem, a combined level-set and lattice-Boltzmann method is advanced to simulate and track the dynamics of the fluid–fluid interface and of the common curve during simulations of two-fluid-phase flow in porous media. We demonstrate that the interface and common curve velocities can be determined accurately, even when spurious currents are generated in the vicinity of interfaces. Static and dynamic contact angles are computed and shown to agree with existing slip models. A resolution study is presented for dynamic drainage and imbibition in a sphere pack, demonstrating the sensitivity of averaged quantities to resolution.
ISSN:0022-1120
1469-7645
DOI:10.1017/jfm.2016.212