High-fidelity experimental model verification for flow in fractured porous media

TL;DR

This paper presents the first direct comparison of mixed-dimensional flow models in fractured porous media with laboratory experiments, validating the models' accuracy through high-resolution imaging and simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel validation approach by comparing models with experimental data, enhancing confidence in mixed-dimensional modeling techniques.

Findings

Models accurately predict flow patterns in fractured media

Quantitative agreement between simulations and experiments

Validation supports use of models for complex subsurface flows

Abstract

Mixed-dimensional mathematical models for flow in fractured media have been prevalent in the modeling community for almost two decades, utilizing the explicit representation of fractures by lower-dimensional manifolds embedded in the surrounding porous media. In this work, for the first time, direct qualitative and quantitative comparisons of mixed-dimensional models are drawn against laboratory experiments. Dedicated displacement experiments of steady-state laminar flow in fractured media are investigated using both high-resolution PET images as well as state-of-the-art numerical simulations.