3D, three-phase flow simulations using the Lagrangian-Eulerian approach with adaptively zooming and peak/valley capturing scheme

A fully three-dimensional (3D) multiphase flow model (3DMPS) is developed to simulate the migration of three phases (water, non-aqueous phase liquid and gas) using a fractional flow formulation for the governing equations. This model can incorporate general boundary and initial conditions and automatic phase appearance and disappearance. Numerically, the Lagrangian-Eulerian decoupling method with an adaptive zooming and peak/valley capturing scheme (LEZOOMPC) algorithm is employed to solve multiphase flow problems. A total of seven examples are given in this paper. First, verification is performed against an analytical solution in one case and against other numerical models in another. Second, two examples were used to demonstrate the ability of the model to treat general boundary conditions. Third, the comparison of CPU time in one example illustrated that the efficiency of the LEZOOMPC algorithm is superior when compared to traditional upstream finite-element methods. Finally, two examples are presented to show the applicability of 3DMPS to real 3D problems.