Hierarchical discontinuous Galerkin method for reduced karst conduit-flow in carbonate porous media

Igor Mozolevski, Luciane A. Schuh, Edson L. Valmorbida, Marcio A. Murad and Josue Barroso

Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), 2026, vol. 248, issue C, 440-474

Abstract: We propose an innovative numerical model for single-phase flow in carbonate reservoirs containing karstified layers, characterized by partially enlarged fractures and high-permeability conduits formed through superimposed chemical dissolution along fracture intersections. The computational framework is based on a discontinuous Galerkin (dG) formulation applied to a modified system of mixed-dimensional flow equations, which explicitly incorporates permeability enhancement due to localized fracture enlargement near intersections. The methodology is designed with a hierarchical structure, allowing for a consistent and unified multiscale representation of the porous domain, encompassing 3D flow in the rock matrix, 2D flow within fractures, 1D flow along the partially dissolved conduits, and 0D interaction at fracture-conduit junctions. This formulation proves highly effective in capturing the complex, multidimensional flow dynamics induced by karstification, and in quantifying its influence on flow patterns and production curves. We also provide a rigorous mathematical analysis, establishing well-posedness and convergence in broken Sobolev spaces. A suite of computational experiments is presented to demonstrate the robustness, accuracy, and predictive capabilities of the model when applied to realistic karstified reservoir scenarios.

Keywords: Fractured porous media; Karstified reservoirs; Hierarchical discontinuous Galerkin method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378475426001576
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:matcom:v:248:y:2026:i:c:p:440-474

DOI: 10.1016/j.matcom.2026.04.015

Access Statistics for this article

Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM) is currently edited by Robert Beauwens

More articles in Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM) from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().