Research Project CX9

August 2025 – August 2028

Margarete von Wrangell Juniorprofessorinnen-Programm

Partially-miscible multiphase flow in porous media is governed by coupled interfacial, transport, and reactive processes that strongly influence subsurface energy and environmental applications such as geological CO₂ storage and underground hydrogen storage. Dissolution and exsolution at the gas-liquid interface affect phase distribution, trapping, and flow behavior, even for low-soluble gases. In heterogeneous porous media, spatial variations in permeability and interfacial properties further modify these processes and may induce anisotropic macroscopic behavior. In addition, geochemical reactions such as salt precipitation and dissolution alter porosity and permeability, thereby feeding back into the flow dynamics.

In this project, we aim to develop mathematical models for partially-miscible gas water systems in homogeneous and heterogeneous porous media.

The modeling approach is based on diffuse interface (phase-field) formulations coupled with incompressible Stokes flow to describe interfacial dynamics at the pore scale. Gas dissolution and exsolution are incorporated using pressure-dependent solubility laws, while reactive transport processes such as salt precipitation are included through coupled transport-flow equations.

A central component of the project is the systematic upscaling of pore-scale models to the Darcy scale using homogenization techniques, including two-scale convergence and periodic unfolding methods. This multiscale framework enables the derivation of effective macroscopic equations with heterogeneous and anisotropic coefficients while preserving the essential microscale physics.

The developed pore- and Darcy-scale models are validated through controlled microfluidic experiments that replicate homogeneous and structured heterogeneous pore geometries. By combining mathematical analysis, numerical simulation, and experimental comparison, the project advances predictive modeling capabilities for partially-miscible multiphase systems in porous media.