On Application of the Weak Galerkin Finite Element Method to a Two-Phase Model for Subsurface Flow

This paper presents studies on applying the novel weak Galerkin finite element method (WGFEM) to a two-phase model for subsurface flow, which couples the Darcy equation for pressure and a transport equation for saturation in a nonlinear manner. The coupled problem is solved in the framework of operator decomposition. Specifically, the Darcy equation is solved by the WGFEM, whereas the saturation is solved by a finite volume method. The numerical velocity obtained from solving the Darcy equation by the WGFEM is locally conservative and has continuous normal components across element interfaces. This ensures accuracy and robustness of the finite volume solver for the saturation equation. Numerical experiments on benchmarks demonstrate that the combined methods can handle very well two-phase flow problems in high-contrast heterogeneous porous media.

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