Environmental Hydrogeology
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Upscaling flow and transport processes in porous media
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Researchers: drs Twan Gielen, prof.dr.ir S. M. Hassanizadeh
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Collaboration with: Section of Reservoir Engineering (TU Delft), Department of Mathematics (University of Leiden),
Department of Soil Physics, Agrohydrology and Groundwater management (University of Wageningen) and
Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences (TU Eindhoven)
Project description
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The program aims at identifying and describing coupled and nonlinear processes involving
multiphase flow and reactive solute transport at the pore scale, upscaling the governing equations
to the core scale, testing new theories with the aid of computational models and laboratory
experiments, and developing a probe for the measurement of saturation and fluid-fluid
iterfacial areas. The research will comprise theoretical, mathematical, and experimental
work.
The theoretical work consists of using continuum averaging techniques and stochastic description
of physical/chemical properties of the solid material. This will result in a macroscopic description
of flow and transport. New theories involving additional terms, as compared to current governing equations,
are expected to be obtained. In particular, new terms accounting for mass exchange interactions in
microscopically heterogeneous materials, and terms involving specific interfacial area will be introduced.
The mathematical work will consist of two parts: mathematical analysis of resulting upscaled equations and
development and application of computational pore-network models for multiphase flow and solute transport.
The mathematical analysis will be used to determine whether the upscaled PDE's allow a unique solution,
and to determine under which conditions new terms in the upscaled equations are significant. Numerical
work will be based on pore-scale network models. Mechanisms of (multiphase) flow, transport and
interactions with the solid phase as well as interfacial phenomena are captured by analyzing the
processes at the pore scale. Comparison of theoretical results with results of the pore-network
models will allow us to evaluate the additional terms in the macroscopic description of interaction
processes and multiphase flow. The experimental work will consist of two parts: i) development of a
probe for the measurement of capillary saturation and interfacial areas in the case of multiphase
systems, and ii) column experiments involving transport of a reactive solute in a (microscopically)
heterogeneous soil and imbibition and drainage experiments with two immiscible phases. Based on these
experiments the computer models can be validated.
The knowledge obtained from this extensive study will lead to improved macroscale description of
multiphase flow and solute transport processes. The results will be incorporated in simulation
models which are used for prognosis and diagnosis of soil and groundwater pollution events and
remediation measures.
