InterPore2026

Fluid–Particle Coupling Strategies for Pore-Scale Sediment Clogging with the Lattice-Boltzmann-Method

22 May 2026, 10:20

1h 30m

Poster Presentation (MS09) Pore-Scale Physics and Modeling Poster

Speaker

Claudius Holeksa (NORCE Research AS)

Description

During the recovery of carbohydrates a problem which often arises is the phenomenon of
sediment accumulation. While it is unavoidable, mitigative efforts are of interest for the reduction
of the ongoing development of these phenomena. The sediment clogging is driven mostly by the
accumulation, transport and deposition of solid particles within the pore[MALS24]. As sediments
settle and adhere to walls the hydraulic resistance increases. Repeated sealing of pores might result
in a higher required pressure to facilitate the recovery processes and since this also means that
pores are subjected to varying pressure differences due to being part of a larger porous network,
it is essential to analyze clogging behaviour under changing pressure.
To investigate these effects a study of three different approaches for coupling fluid and solid
mechanics is done. The fluid flow is modeled using the Lattice Boltzmann Method(LBM) which
has gained increasing attention over the last decade as a versatile, fast and effective numerical
technique for a wide range of fluid dynamic problems. In contrast to more classical computational
fluid dynamics that directly solve the Navier-Stokes equations, LBM is based on a mesoscopic
description in which the fluid is represented by a stochastical distribution of particles with a
discrete velocity set on a discrete grid. Macroscopic quantities such as density and velocity can be
recovered through these distributions.
Due to its locality property as a cellular automaton LBM is highly parallelizable and is well
suited for simulations in porous media and complex geometries. These make it an attractive choice
for studying sediment transport, deposition and clogging at the pore scale. Here, three coupling
methods are compared to model sediment-fluid interactions. The Immersed Boundary Method
(IBM), the partially saturated method and the homogenized Lattice Boltzmann Method (HLBM).
The Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) explicitly resolves individual sediment particles. Fluid–particle
interactions are represented through a two-way coupling framework, wherein hydrodynamic forces
act on the particles and the corresponding reaction forces are imposed on the fluid via an additional
forcing term [Pes72, LLZ+22].
The homogenized Lattice Boltzmann Method (HLBM) represents each particle by a mask
overlaid onto the fluid lattice and models fluid–particle interactions through a homogenized porous
two-phase collision operator [KKH+17]. This approach reconstructs the interaction by applying
a convex weighting between fluid and particle velocities in the equilibrium distribution function,
based on the local volume fraction of the particle within each lattice cell.
Similarly, the Partially Saturated Method (PSM) employs a two-phase formulation; however,
instead of blending velocities, it constructs a convex combination of two collision operators to
account for the coexistence of fluid and solid phases within a lattice cell [TMGE22].
This comparative approach allows for a systematic assessment of sediment induced clogging
mechanisms and their impact on flow behaviour during carbohydrate recovery.