Computational Modeling of Flow in Porous Media

The objective of this course is to equip students with the theoretical and computational foundations needed to model and simulate fluid flow in porous media, with a particular focus on reservoir rocks and subsurface applications.

More specifically, the course aims to:

  • Introduce reservoir rock modeling, including the representation of petrophysical properties and geological heterogeneities;
  • Present subsurface grid and mesh concepts, emphasizing structured, unstructured, and polyhedral grids;
  • Develop mathematical models for single-phase flow, both incompressible and compressible;
  • Study numerical methods and consistent discretizations for flow equations on general grids;
  • Analyze and implement incompressible flow solvers, focusing on numerical stability and computational efficiency;
  • Introduce multiphase flow modeling, including pressure–saturation coupling and compressibility effects;
  • Explore the discretization of hyperbolic transport equations, which govern saturation fronts;
  • Enable rapid prototyping of simulation models and solvers for research and practical applications.

Bibliography

  • Book: An Introduction to Reservoir Simulation Using MATLAB/GNU Octave: user guide for the MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox (MRST), by Knut-Andreas Lie, SINTEF, Norway.
  • Book: Advanced Modeling with the MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox, by Knut-Andreas Lie and Olav MøynerSINTEF.
  • Book: Applied Numerical Methods with MATLAB for engineers and scientists, by Chapra, 5th edition, (Mc Graw Hill Education (Uk)).
  • Book: Métodos Numéricos em Recursos Hídricos, by Baume et al, 7th edition, (Coppetec fundation).
  • Book: Métodos Numéricos e Computacionais na Prática de Engenharias e Ciências, by Brasil, Balthazar and Góis (Blucher).
  • Book: Programação em MATLAB para engenheiros, by Chapman (Cengage).