Modeling capillarity and two-phase flow in granular media: from pore-scale to network-scale
- Autores: Eduard Puig Montellà
- Directores de la Tesis: Antonio Gens Sole (dir. tes.), Bruno Chareyre (codir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) ( España ) en 2019
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Hogues Bodiquel (presid.), Vanessa Magnanimo (secret.), Majid Hassanizadeh (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Ingeniería del Terreno por la Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya
- Materias:
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- Resumen
Numerical simulations at the pore scale are a way to study the behavior of multiphase flows encountered in many natural processes and industrial applications. In this work, liquid morphology and capillary action are examined at the pore-scale by means of the multicomponent Shan-Chen lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The accuracy of the numerical model is first contrasted with theoretical solutions. The numerical results are extended to complex microstructures beyond the pendular regime.
The LBM has been employed to simulate multiphase flow through idealized granular porous media under quasi-static primary drainage conditions. LBM simulations provide an excellent description of the fluid-fluid interface displacement through the grains. Additionally, the receding phase trapped in the granular media in form of pendular bridges or liquid clusters is well captured. Unfortunately, such simulations require a significant computation time. A 2D model (Throat-Network model) based on analytical solutions is proposed to mimic the multiphase flow with very reduced computation cost, therefore, suitable to replace LBM simulations when the computation resources are limited. The approach emphasizes the importance of simulating at the throat scale rather than the pore body scale in order to obtain the local capillary pressure - liquid content relationships. The Throat-Network model is a starting point for a hybrid model proposed to solve 3D problems. The hybrid model combines the efficiency of the pore-network approach and the accuracy of the LBM at the pore scale to optimize the computational resources. The hybrid model is based on the decomposition of the granular assembly into small subsets, in which LBM simulations are performed to determine the main hydrostatic properties (entry capillary pressure, capillary pressure - liquid content relationship and liquid morphology for each pore throat). Despite the reduction of computation time, it is still not negligible and not affordable for large granular packings. Approximations by the Incircle and the MS-P method, which predict hydrostatic properties, are contrasted with the results provided by LBM and the hybrid model. Relatively accurate predictions are given by the approximations.
