An efficient method for modeling convection-dominated flows is presented and applied to miscible displacement in a porous medium. The method uses characteristics to model convection and finite elements for diffusion and dispersion, thereby treating each physical process with a well-suited numerical scheme. A finite difference analogue can also be formulated.

Numerical results are given that show that the method can simulate adverse mobility ratio displacements accurately without suffering from grid orientation, numerical dispersion, or overshoot. The use of characteristics allows time steps to be an order of magnitude larger than in previously proposed methods, with a corresponding increase in efficiency. Unlike many procedures utilizing characteristics, this method is easily applied in two or three dimensions.

Keywords:
displacement, numerical dispersion, dispersion, artificial intelligence, concentration, upstream oil & gas, overshoot, grid, diagonal grid, equation
Subjects:
Improved and Enhanced Recovery, Reservoir Simulation
Copyright 1982, Society of Petroleum Engineers
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