KDI: Multiscale Physics-Based Simulation of Fluid Flow for Energy and Environmental Applications

地球表面和地下的流体流动是水和土壤污染问题的根源和解决办法，而石油和天然气的生产则取决于地下的流动。 在这些问题中，实际感兴趣的长度尺度范围从几十米到千米。 然而，在这些尺度上的行为严重依赖于在更小的长度尺度上发生的物理现象。 这些问题在时间尺度上也存在很大的差异。 此外，不同的物理过程同时发生在域的不同部分。 在这个项目中，研究人员和他们的大学，政府和工业合作者从理论和实验中发展了对小尺度现象的急需的科学理解，并开发了新的计算工具和策略，用于在实际规模上整合这种理解，用于处理跨子域的多种类型的物理学，用于远程协作，以及用于可视化和操纵结果。 该项目的重点是更好地了解小规模现象（例如，多孔介质中的多相界面面积、滞后、分散和离散裂缝），借助于多块或多物理方法的域间耦合（例如，地表水和地下水环境的耦合），准确和高效的算法和原型模拟器的开发，以及交互式查看结果和与合作者离线的方法。 开发的算法和模拟器包括新颖的砂浆型空间耦合域，和复杂的，自适应的，有限元，有限体积和时间步长的方法建模非线性对流，扩散和反应过程。 算法在并行计算平台上实现。 交互式操纵和可视化与模拟器紧密耦合。 与这一项目有关的重要工作包括：用于对模拟器进行严格评价的实验室实验和实地数据，演示石油工程生产模型和环境地下和地面流动应用的原型模拟器，以及通过讲习班进行教育和专业宣传和培训，视频和网络-该项目涉及计算机模拟和预测地表沃茨和地下流体的运动和相互作用地下水和石油储藏。 重点是基本的多尺度和多物理场应用（即，在不同长度和时间尺度上一起发生的物理过程以及在空间域的不同部分中发生的不同物理过程）。 这项工作背后的动机是需要更好地理解和量化小规模过程对更大的现场规模过程的影响，并了解不同的物理过程发生在非常接近的地方如何相互影响。 研究人员通过开发适当的数学模型，数值算法，计算科学和可视化工具以及实验室实验来研究这些问题。 这项工作是与其他大学研究人员以及政府和工业合作伙伴合作进行的。 教育推广和培训未来的科学家和工程师是这项努力的重要组成部分。 感兴趣的应用包括石油和天然气生产，地下水污染和补救，地表水循环和污染，以及地表和地下水环境之间的相互作用。 这些应用具有显著的环境和经济影响。

Wheeler9873326Fluid flows at and below the earth's surface are the cause and cure for problems of water and soil pollution, while petroleum and natural gas production depends on flows in the subsurface. In these problems, the length scales of practical interest range from tens of meters to kilometers. However, the behavior at these scales depends critically on physics occurring at much smaller length scales. A wide disparity in time scales also exists in these problems. Moreover, different physical processes occur simultaneously in different parts of the domain. In this project, the investigators and their university, government and industrial collaborators develop much-needed scientific understanding of small-scale phenomena from theory and experiment, and also develop new computational tools and strategies for incorporating this understanding at the practical scale, for handling multiple types of physics across subdomains, for remote collaboration, and for visualizing and manipulating the results. The project focuses on better understanding of small-scale phenomena (e.g., multiphase interfacial area, hysteresis, dispersion, and discrete fractures in porous media), interdomain coupling by means of multiblock or multiphysics methodologies (e.g., coupling of surface water and groundwater environments), the development of accurate and efficient algorithms and prototype simulators, and methods for viewing results interactively and with collaborators off site. The algorithms and simulators developed include novel mortar type spaces for coupling domains, and sophisticated, adaptive, finite element, finite volume and time-stepping methods for modeling nonlinear advective, diffusive and reactive processes. The algorithms are implemented on parallel computing platforms. Interactive steering and visualization are coupled closely to the simulators. Important work related to this project are laboratory experiments and field data for critical evaluation of the simulators, demonstration of prototypical simulators on petroleum engineering production models and environmental subsurface and surface flow applications, and educational and professional outreach and training through workshops, video and web-based technologies.This project concerns computer simulation and prediction of the movement and interaction of fluids in surface waters and subsurface groundwater and petroleum reservoirs. The focus is on fundamental multiscale and multiphysics applications (i.e., physical processes occurring together at different length and time scales and different physical processes occurring in different parts of the spatial domain). The motivation behind this work is the need to better understand and quantify the effect of small-scale processes on larger, field-scale processes, and to understand how different physical processes occurring in close proximity affect each other. The investigators study these problems through the development of appropriate mathematical models, numerical algorithms, computational science and visualization tools, and laboratory experiments. This work is carried out in collaboration with other university researchers and government and industrial partners. Educational outreach and training of future scientists and engineers is an important part of this effort. The applications of interest include petroleum and natural gas production, groundwater contamination and remediation, surface water circulation and pollution, and the interaction between surface and groundwater environments. These applications have significant environmental and economic impact.