Numerical modeling of contaminant transport in fractured porous media using mixed finite-element and finitevolume methods

Chen Dong, Shuyu Sun, Glenn A. Taylor

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

A mathematical model for contaminant species passing through fractured porous media is presented. In the numerical model, we combine two locally conservative methods; i.e., the mixed finite-element (MFE) method and the finite-volume method. Adaptive triangle mesh is used for effective treatment of the fractures. A hybrid MFE method is employed to provide an accurate approximation of velocity fields for both the fractures and matrix, which are crucial to the convection part of the transport equation. The finite-volume method and the standard MFE method are used to approximate the convection and dispersion terms, respectively. The temporary evolution for the pressure distributions, streamline fields, and concentration profiles are obtained for six different arrangements of fractures. The results clearly show the distorted concentration effects caused by the ordered and disordered (random) patterns of the fractures and illustrate the robustness and efficiency of the proposed numerical model. © 2011 by Begell House Inc.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)219-242
Number of pages24
JournalJournal of Porous Media
Volume14
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2011

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Modeling and Simulation
  • General Materials Science
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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