InterPore2026

Pore-Scale Multiphase Flow and Upscaled Transport in Porous Media for Subsurface and Energy Applications

21 May 2026, 10:05

1h 30m

Poster Presentation (MS07) Mathematical and numerical methods for multi-scale multi-physics, nonlinear coupled processes Poster

Speaker

Promasree Majumdar (Indian Institute of Technology Delhi)

Description

Multiphase flow in porous materials governs a wide range of subsurface and energy-related processes, including geological CO₂ sequestration, enhanced recovery, energy storage systems, and transport in porous membranes. These processes are inherently multiscale and multiphysics in nature, arising from the strong coupling between viscous flow, capillary forces, interfacial dynamics, wettability, and pore-scale heterogeneity. Accurate prediction of macroscopic transport behavior therefore requires explicit resolution of pore-scale mechanisms and their systematic upscaling to continuum-scale models. This study presents a multiscale modeling framework to investigate pore-scale multiphase flow and derive effective transport properties for porous materials under coupled physical interactions.

At the pore scale, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are coupled with a phase-field formulation to resolve immiscible two-phase flow, interfacial evolution, and capillary effects within representative porous geometries. Complex pore structures incorporating anisotropy and heterogeneity are considered to capture realistic transport pathways. In addition to hydrodynamic and capillary forces, external electric and magnetic fields are introduced through electrohydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic body force terms, enabling controlled manipulation of flow topology and interfacial stability. This multiphysics formulation provides a framework to assess how external fields modify pore-scale transport mechanisms.

To link pore-scale dynamics with macroscopic behavior, a rigorous numerical homogenization approach is employed. Volume-averaged velocities, fluxes, and pressure gradients obtained from pore-scale simulations are used to compute anisotropic effective permeability tensors and phase-averaged transport coefficients. The results demonstrate that pore-scale anisotropy and interfacial configuration strongly influence effective transport properties. Moreover, the presence of external fields is shown to alter permeability anisotropy, suppress unfavorable fingering patterns, and enhance displacement efficiency under specific operating conditions. These effects are not captured by classical Darcy-scale models with constant permeability, highlighting the necessity of multiscale, physics-resolved approaches.