Multiscale modeling and simulation of turbulent flows in porous media

Abstract

Numerical simulation is an important tool for understanding the physics of flows in porous media and for making predictions. The state of the art of multiscale modeling and simulation of turbulent flows in porous media is reviewed in this paper. Numerical simulations of flows in porous media can be classified as microscopic simulations, in which both macroscopic and pore-scale flows are directly resolved, and macroscopic simulations, in which the pore-scale motions are modeled while the volume-averaged equations are solved. Studies in the past few years have shown that microscopic simulations improve the understanding of turbulent flows in porous media considerably; this motivates the development of more efficient and more accurate turbulence models for macroscopic simulations. On the basis of this review, we believe that simulation of flows with higher Reynolds numbers, understanding the transport of macroscopic turbulence, modeling of turbulent flows in inhomogeneous and anisotropic porous media, simulation of compressible and multiphase turbulent flows in porous media, and fluid–structure interaction in deformable porous matrices are important topics to be studied in the future.