PNNL

Abstract

Darcy-scale models of ?ow and transport in porous media often fail to describe experimentally observed phenomena, while their pore-scale counterparts are accu- rate but can be computationally prohibitive. Most numerical multi-scale models, which seek to combine these two descriptions, require empirical closures and/or as- sumptions on the behavior of pore-scale quantities at the continuum (Darcy) scale. We present a general formulation of an iterative hybrid numerical method that links these two scales without resorting to such approximations. The algorithm treats the ?uxes exchanged at the internal boundaries between the pore- and continuum-scale domains as unknown, and allows for iteratively determined boundary conditions to be applied at the pore-scale in order to guarantee their continuity. While the algorithm proposed is general, we use it to model Taylor dispersion in a fracture with chemically reactive walls. Results show signi?cant improvement upon standard continuum-scale formulations.