PorousFlow: a multiphysics simulation code for coupled problems in porous media

Abstract

Numerical-simulation studies of transport and flow in porous media are essential in many practical fields of research. Including the coupling of different physical processes allows accurate modelling of the effects of fluid flow and temperature changes on the subsurface reservoir structure, and conversely, the effects of reservoir-structure changes on fluids and heat. In this study, we introduce the development of a physics module for non-isothermal, multicomponent, multiphase flow in porous media, as part of the open-source, multiphysics simulation framework MOOSE. Through tight interfaces with existing physics modules for solid mechanics and aqueous geochemistry, massively parallel, fully implicit, fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical simulations are possible. MOOSE and the porous flow module are freely available under an open-source license, making MOOSE a platform for collaborative efforts in this field of research.