Sedimentation and Flow Through Porous Media: Simulating Dynamically Coupled Discrete and Continuum Phases

TL;DR

This paper presents an efficient simulation method for two-phase flow in porous media, combining discrete particle tracking with continuum fluid dynamics, validated through flow and sedimentation experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a coupled discrete-continuum simulation approach for low Reynolds number two-phase flow in porous media, emphasizing efficiency and validation.

Findings

Good agreement with theoretical pressure drop dependence on solid volume fraction

Successful validation through gravity-induced sedimentation simulations

Applicable to high porosity random media flows

Abstract

We describe a method to address efficiently problems of two-phase flow in the regime of low particle Reynolds number and negligible Brownian motion. One of the phases is an incompressible continuous fluid and the other a discrete particulate phase which we simulate by following the motion of single particles. Interactions between the phases are taken into account using locally defined drag forces. We apply our method to the problem of flow through random media at high porosity where we find good agreement to theoretical expectations for the functional dependence of the pressure drop on the solid volume fraction. We undertake further validations on systems undergoing gravity induced sedimentation.