A growing demand for more detailed modeling of subsurface physics as ever more challenging reservoirs - often unconventional, with significant geomechanical particularities - become production targets has moti-vated research in coupled flow and geomechanics. Reservoir rock deforms to given stress conditions, so the simplified approach of using a scalar value of the rock compressibility factor in the fluid mass balance equation to describe the geomechanical system response cannot correctly estimate multi-dimensional rock deformation. A coupled flow and geomechanics model considers flow physics and rock physics simultaneously by cou-pling different types of partial differential equations through primary variables. A number of coupled flow and geomechanics simulators have been developed and applied to describe fluid flow in deformable po-rous media but the majority of these coupled flow and geomechanics simulators have limited capabilities in modeling multiphase flow and geomechanical deformation in a heterogeneous and fractured reservoir. In addition, most simulators do not have the capability to simulate both coarse and fine scale multiphysics. In this study I developed a new, fully implicit multiphysics simulator (TAM-CFGM: Texas A&M Coupled Flow and Geomechanics simulator) that can be applied to simulate a 2D or 3D multiphase flow and rock deformation in a heterogeneous and/or fractured reservoir system. I derived a mixed finite element formu-lation that satisfies local mass conservation and provides a more accurate estimation of the velocity solu-tion in the fluid flow equations. I used a continuous Galerkin formulation to solve the geomechanics equa-tion. These formulations allowed me to use unstructured meshes, a full-tensor permeability, and elastic stiffness. I proposed a numerical upscaling of the permeability and of the elastic stiffness tensors to gener-ate a coarse-scale description of the fine-scale grid in the model, and I implemented the methodology in the simulator. I applied the code I developed to the simulation of the problem of multiphase flow in a fractured tight gas system. As a result, I observed unique phenomena (not reported before) that could not have been deter-mined without coupling. I demonstrated the importance and advantages of using unstructured meshes to effectively and realistically model a reservoir. In particular, high resolution discrete fracture models al-lowed me to obtain more detailed physics that could not be resolved with a structured grid. I performed numerical upscaling of a very heterogeneous geologic model and observed that the coarse-scale numerical solution matched the fine scale reference solution well. As a result, I believed I developed a method that can capture important physics of the fine-scale model with a reasonable computation cost.

Anisotropy of hydraulic properties of the subsurface geologic formations is an essential feature that has been established as a consequence of the different geologic processes that undergo during the longer geologic time scale. With respect to subsurface reservoirs, in many cases, anisotropy plays significant role in dictating the direction of flow that becomes no longer dependent only on driving forces like the pressure gradient and gravity but also on the principal directions of anisotropy. Therefore, there has been a great deal of motivation to consider anisotropy into the subsurface flow and transport models. In this dissertation, we present subsurface flow modeling in single and dual continuum anisotropic porous media, which include the single-phase groundwater flow coupled with the solute transport in anisotropic porous media, the two-phase flow with gravity effect in anisotropic porous media, and the natural gas flow in anisotropic shale reservoirs. We have employed the multipoint flux approximation (MPFA) method to handle anisotropy in the flow model. The MPFA method is designed to provide correct discretization of the flow equations for general orientation of the principal directions of the permeability tensor. The implementation of MPFA method is combined with the experimenting pressure field approach, a newly developed technique that enables the solution of the global problem breaks down into the solution of multitude of local problems. The numerical results of the study demonstrate the significant effects of anisotropy of the subsurface formations. For the single-phase groundwater flow coupled with the solute transport modeling in anisotropic porous media, the results shows the strong impact of anisotropy on the pressure field and the migration of the solute concentration. For the two-phase flow modeling with gravity effect in anisotropic porous media, it is observed that the buoyancy-driven flow, which emerges due to the density differences between the phases, migrates upwards and the anisotropy aligns the flow directions closer to the principal direction of anisotropy. Lastly, for the gas flow modeling in anisotropic shale reservoirs, we observe that anisotropy affects the pressure fields and the velocity fields of the matrix and fracture systems as well as the production rate and cumulative production. It is observed from the results that all of the anisotropic cases produce higher amount of gas compared to isotropic case during the same production time. Furthermore, we have also examined the performance of MPFA with respect to mixed finite element (MFE) method over the lowest-order Raviart-Thomas (RT0) space and the first-order Brezzi-Douglas-Marini (BDM1) space. From the comparison of the numerical results we observe that MPFA method show very good agreement with the BDM1 than RT0. In terms of numerical implementation, however, MPFA method is easier than BDM1 and it also offers explicit discrete fluxes that are advantageous. Combining MPFA with the experimenting pressure field approach will certainly adds another advantage of implementing MPFA method as compared with RT0 and BDM1. Moreover, the computational cost (CPU cost) of the three different methods are also discussed.

We use Darcy's law and conservation of mass to model the flow of a fluid through a porous medium. It is a second order elliptic system with a heterogeneous coefficient. We consider the equations written in mixed form. In the heterogeneous case, we define a new multiscale mortar space that incorporates purely local information from homogenization theory to better approximate the solution along the interfaces with just a few degrees of freedom. In the case of a locally periodic heterogeneous coefficient of period epsilon, we prove that the new method achieves both optimal order error estimates in the discretization parameters and good approximation when epsilon is small. Moreover, we present numerical examples to assess its performance when the coefficient is not obviously locally periodic. We show that the new mortar method works well, and better than polynomial mortar spaces. On the other hand, we also propose to use multiscale mortars as a coarse component to construct a two-level preconditioner for the saddle point linear system arising from the fine scale discretization of the mixed finite element system. The two-level preconditioners are constructed based on the interfaces. We propose a framework to define the interpolation operators for the face based two-level preconditioners for different combination of coarse and fine scale mortar spaces for matching and nonmatching grids. In this dissertation, we show that for quasi-homogeneous problems and matching grids, the condition number of the preconditioned interface operator is bounded by (log(H/h))², which is the same as the traditional two-level preconditioners, for quasi-homogeneous problems. We show several numerical examples to demonstrate that for the strongly heterogeneous porous media, it is often desirable and even necessary to use a higher dimensional coarse mortar space to construct the coarse preconditioner to achieve convergence. We apply our ideas to study slightly compressible single phase and two-phase flow in a porous medium. We find that for the nonlinear single phase problem, the two-level preconditioners could be successfully applied to the symmetrized linear system. For the two-phase problem, using the fine scale, instead of multiscale, velocity solutions from the flow problem can greatly benefit the transport problem. / text

Projection methods for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) are efficient, but introduce numerical boundary layers and have limited temporal accuracy due to their fractional step nature. The Pressure Poisson Equation (PPE) reformulations represent a class of methods that replace the incompressibility constraint by a Poisson equation for the pressure, with a suitable choice of the boundary condition so that the incompressibility is maintained. PPE reformulations of the NSE have important advantages: the pressure is no longer implicitly coupled to the velocity, thus can be directly recovered by solving a Poisson equation, and no numerical boundary layers are generated; arbitrary order time-stepping schemes can be used to achieve high order accuracy in time. In this thesis, we focus on numerical approaches of the PPE reformulations, in particular, the Shirokoff-Rosales (SR) PPE reformulation. Interestingly, the electric boundary conditions, i.e., the tangential and divergence boundary conditions, provided for the velocity in the SR PPE reformulation render classical nodal finite elements non-convergent. We propose two alternative methodologies, mixed finite element methods and meshfree finite differences, and demonstrate that these approaches allow for arbitrary order of accuracy both in space and in time. / Mathematics

Tight gas and shale oil play an important role in energy security and in meeting an increasing energy demand. Hydraulic fracturing is a widely used technology for recovering these resources. The design and evaluation of hydraulic fracture operation is critical for efficient production from tight gas and shale plays. The efficiency of fracturing jobs depends on the interaction between hydraulic (induced) and naturally occurring discrete fractures. In this work, a coupled reservoir-fracture flow model is described which accounts for varying reservoir geometries and complexities including non-planar fractures. Different flow models such as Darcy flow and Reynold's lubrication equation for fractures and reservoir, respectively are utilized to capture flow physics accurately. Furthermore, the geomechanics effects have been included by considering a multiphase Biot's model. An accurate modeling of solid deformations necessitates a better estimation of fluid pressure inside the fracture. The fractures and reservoir are modeled explicitly allowing accurate representation of contrasting physical descriptions associated with each of the two. The approach presented here is in contrast with existing averaging approaches such as dual and discrete-dual porosity models where the effects of fractures are averaged out. A fracture connected to an injection well shows significant width variations as compared to natural fractures where these changes are negligible. The capillary pressure contrast between the fracture and the reservoir is accounted for by utilizing different capillary pressure curves for the two features. Additionally, a quantitative assessment of hydraulic fracturing jobs relies upon accurate predictions of fracture growth during slick water injection for single and multistage fracturing scenarios. It is also important to consistently model the underlying physical processes from hydraulic fracturing to long-term production. A recently introduced thermodynamically consistent phase-field approach for pressurized fractures in porous medium is utilized which captures several characteristic features of crack propagation such as joining, branching and non-planar propagation in heterogeneous porous media. The phase-field approach captures both the fracture-width evolution and the fracture-length propagation. In this work, the phase-field fracture propagation model is briefly discussed followed by a technique for coupling this to a fractured poroelastic reservoir simulator. We also present a general compositional formulation using multipoint flux mixed finite element (MFMFE) method on general hexahedral grids with a future prospect of treating energized fractures. The mixed finite element framework allows for local mass conservation, accurate flux approximation and a more general treatment of boundary conditions. The multipoint flux inherent in MFMFE scheme allows the usage of a full permeability tensor. An accurate treatment of diffusive/dispersive fluxes owing to additional velocity degrees of freedom is also presented. The applications areas of interest include gas flooding, CO₂ sequestration, contaminant removal and groundwater remediation. / text

The main focus of this work lies in the simulation of the deformation of mechanical components which consist of nonlinear elastic, incompressible material and that are subject to large deformations. Starting from a nonlinear formulation one can derive a discrete problem by using linearisation techniques and an adaptive mixed finite element method. This turns out to be a saddle point problem that can be solved via a Bramble-Pasciak conjugate gradient method. With some modifications the simulation can be improved.

Nous construisons une méthode numérique fiable pour simuler un écoulement dans un milieu poreux modélisé par une équation elliptique. La simulation est rendue difficile par les hétérogénéités du milieu, la taille et la géométrie complexe du domaine de calcul. Un maillage d'hexaèdres réguliers ne permet pas de représenter fidèlement les couches géologiques du domaine. Par conséquent, nous sommes amenés à travailler avec un maillage de cubes déformés. Il existe différentes méthodes de volumes finis ou d'éléments finis qui résolvent ce problème avec plus ou moins de succès. Pour la méthode que nous proposons, nous nous imposons d'avoir seulement un degré de liberté par maille pour la pression et un degré de liberté par face pour la vitesse de Darcy, pour rester au plus près des habitudes des codes industriels. Comme les méthodes d'éléments finis mixtes standards ne convergent pas, notre méthode est basée sur un élément fini mixte composite. En deux dimensions, une maille polygonale est découpée en triangles en ajoutant un point au barycentre des sommets, et une expression explicite des fonctions de base a pu être obtenue. En dimension 3, la méthode s'étend naturellement au cas d'une maille pyramidale. Dans le cas d'un hexaèdre ou d'un cube déformé quelconque, la maille est divisée en 24 tétraèdres en ajoutant un point au barycentre des sommets et en divisant les faces en 4 triangles. Les fonctions de base de l'élément sont alors construites en résolvant un problème discret. Les méthodes proposées ont été analysées théoriquement et complétées par des estimateurs a posteriori. Elles ont été expérimentées sur des exemples académiques et réalistes en utilisant le calcul parallèle. / We develop a reliable numerical method to approximate a flow in a porous media, modeled by an elliptic equation. The simulation is made difficult because of the strong heterogeneities of the medium, the size together with complex geometry of the domain. A regular hexahedral mesh does not allow to describe accurately the geological layers of the domain. Consequently, this leads us to work with a mesh made of deformed cubes. There exists several methods of type finite volumes or finite elements which solve this issue. For our method, we wish to have only one degree of freedom per element for the pressure and one degree of freedom per face for the Darcy velocity, to stay as close to the habits of industrial software. Since standard mixed finite element methods does not converge, our method is based on composite mixed finite element. In two dimensions, a polygonal mesh is split into triangles by adding a node to the vertices's barycenter, and explicit formulation of the basis functions was obtained. In dimension 3, the method extend naturally to the case of pyramidal mesh. In the case of a hexahedron or a deformed cube, the element is divided into 24 tetrahedra by adding a node to the vertices's barycenter and splitting the faces into 4 triangles. The basis functions are then built by solving a discrete problem. The proposed methods have been theoretically analyzed and completed by a posteriori estimators. They have been tested on academical and realistic examples by using parallel computation.

Cette thèse est consacrée à l'analyse mathématique et numérique d'un problème d'interaction fluide-structure stationnaire, couplant un fluide newtonien, visqueux et incompressible, modélisé par les équations de Stokes 2D et une structure déformable, décrite par les équations d'une poutre 1D. Le fluide et la structure sont couplés via une condition aux limites de type frottement à l'interface.Dans l'étude théorique, nous montrons un résultat d'existence et unicité de solutions faibles, dans le cadre de petits déplacements, du problème de couplage fluide structure avec une condition de glissement de type Tresca en utilisant le théorème de point fixe de Schauder.Dans l'analyse numérique, nous étudions d'abord, l'approximation du problème de Stokes avec la condition de Tresca par une méthode d'éléments finis mixtes à quatre champs. Nous montrons ensuite une estimation d'erreur a priori optimale pour des données régulières et nous réalisons des tests numériques. Enfin, nous présentons un algorithme de point fixe pour la simulation numérique du problème couplé avec des conditions aux limites non linéaires. / This PHD thesis is devoted to the theoretical and numerical analysis of a stationary fluid-structure interaction problem between an incompressible viscous Newtonian fluid, modeled by the 2D Stokes equations, and a deformable structure modeled by the 1D beam equations.The fluid and structure are coupled via a friction boundary condition at the fluid-structure interface.In the theoretical study, we prove the existence of a unique weak solution, under small displacements, of the fluid-structure interaction problem under a slip boundary condition of friction type (SBCF) by using Schauder fixed point theorem.In the numerical analysis, we first study a mixed finite element approximation of the Stokes equations under SBCF.We also prove an optimal a priori error estimate for regular data and we provide numerical examples.Finally, we present a fixed point algorithm for numerical simulation of the coupled problem under nonlinear boundary conditions.

In this dissertation, we explore applications of partial differential equations with discontinuous coefficients. We consider the nonconforming immersed finite element methods (IFE) for modeling and simulating these partial differential equations. A one-dimensional second-order parabolic initial-boundary value problem with discontinuous coefficients is studied. We propose an extension of the immersed finite element method to a high-order immersed finite element method for solving one-dimensional parabolic interface problems. In addition, we introduce a nonconforming immersed finite element method to solve the two-dimensional parabolic problem with a moving interface. In the nonconforming IFE framework, the degrees of freedom are determined by the average integral value over the element edges. The continuity of the nonconforming IFE framework is in the weak sense in comparison the continuity of the conforming IFE framework. Numerical experiments are provided to demonstrate the features and the robustness of these methods. We introduce a class of lowest-order nonconforming immersed finite element methods for solving two-dimensional Stokes interface problem. On triangular meshes, the Crouzeix-Raviart element is used for velocity approximation, and piecewise constant for pressure. On rectangular meshes, the Rannacher-Turek rotated $Q_1$-$Q_0$ finite element is used. We also consider a new mixed immersed finite element method for the Stokes interface problem on an unfitted mesh. The proposed IFE space uses conforming linear elements for one velocity component and nonconforming linear elements for the other component. The new vector-valued IFE functions are constructed to approximate the interface jump conditions. Basic properties including the unisolvency and the partition of unity of these new IFE methods are discussed. Numerical approximations are observed to converge optimally. Lastly, we apply each class of the new immersed finite element methods to solve the unsteady Stokes interface problem. Based on the new IFE spaces, semi-discrete and full-discrete schemes are developed for solving the unsteady Stokes equations with a stationary or a moving interface. A comparison of the degrees of freedom and number of elements are presented for each method. Numerical experiments are provided to demonstrate the features of these methods.

Les simulations en mécanique du solide présentent des difficultés comme le traitement de l'incompressibilité ou les non-linéarités dues aux grandes déformations, aux lois de comportement et de contact. L'objectif principal de ce travail est de proposer des méthodes éléments finis capables de gérer l'incompressibilité en grandes déformations en utilisant des éléments de faible ordre. Parmi les approches de la littérature, les formulations mixtes offrent un cadre théorique intéressant. Dans ce travail, une formulation mixte à trois champs (déplacements, pression, gonflement) est introduite. Dans certains cas, cette formulation peut être condensée en formulation à deux champs. Cependant, il est connu que le problème discret obtenu par une approche éléments finis de type Galerkin n'hérite pas automatiquement de la condition de stabilité “inf-sup” du problème continu : les éléments finis utilisés, et notamment les ordres d'interpolation doivent être choisis de sorte à vérifier cette condition de stabilité. Cependant, il est possible de s'affranchir de cette contrainte en ajoutant des termes de stabilisation à la formulation EF Galerkin. Cette approche permet entre autres d'utiliser des ordres d'interpolation égaux. Dans ce travail, des éléments finis stables de type P2/P1 sont utilisés comme référence, et comparés à une formulation P1/P1, stabilisée soit avec une fonction bulle, soit avec une méthode VMS (Variational Multi-Scale) basée sur un espace sous-grille orthogonal à l'espace EF. Combinées à un modèle grandes déformations basé sur des déformations logarithmiques, ces approches sont d'abord validées sur des cas académiques puis sur des cas industriels. / Simulations in solid mechanics exhibit difficulties as dealing with incompressibility or nonlinearities due to finite strains, constitutive laws and contact. The basic motivation of our work is to propose efficient finite element methods capable of dealing with incompressibility in finite strain context, and using low order elements. Among the approaches in the literature, mixed formulations offer an interesting theoretical framework. In this work, a three-field mixed formulation (displacement, pressure, volumetric strain) is investigated. In some cases, this formulation can be condensed in a two-field formulation. However, it is well-known that the discrete problem given by the Galerkin finite element technique, does not inherit the “inf-sup” stability condition from the continuous problem: the finite elements used, and in particular the interpolation orders must be chosen so as to satisfy this stability condition. However, it is possible to circumvent it, by adding terms stabilizing the FE Galerkin formulation. The latter approach allows the use of equal order interpolation. In this work, stable finite elements of type P2/P1 are used as reference, and compared to a P1/P1 formulation, stabilized with a bubble function, or with a VMS method (Variational Multi-Scale) based on a sub-grid-space orthogonal to the FE space. Combined to a finite strain model based on logarithmic strain, these approaches are first validated on academic cases and then on industrial cases.