A semi-continuum model of saturation overshoot in one dimensional unsaturated porous media flow

Abstract

A semi-continuum model for fluid flow in saturated-unsaturated porous medium in one spatial dimension is presented. The model is based on well-established physics, measurable parameters and material characteristics. The porous material is characterized by porosity, intrinsic permeability, main wetting and draining branches of the retention curve, and the saturation dependence of the relative permeability. The fluid is characterized by its density and dynamic viscosity. The only physics involved is the mass balance of fluid in porous media together with the Darcy-Buckingham Law for fluid flow in unsaturated porous media. The model is a cellular automaton based on the Macro Modified Invasion Percolation concept of dividing the porous medium into blocks which are not infinitesimal and are assumed to retain the characteristics of a porous medium. The cellular automaton repeats three successive rules: saturation update in each block, pressure update in each block, and flux update between neighboring blocks. The model tracks the evolution of the relative saturation, the fluid capillary pressure, and the fluid flux. The model is shown to reproduce qualitatively and quantitatively all features of one dimensional saturation overshoot behavior reported in the literature.