ErSE 203 Computational Flow and Geomechanics
This course covers the physical, mathematical, and computational aspects of fluid flow, transport, and deformation in porous media. It introduces numerical methods for elliptic and hyperbolic PDEs, including finite volume and finite element methods, as well as coupling strategies for multiphysics problems. The course is organized around two major topics: flow and transport in porous media, and coupled flow and geomechanics. The first topic includes governing equations of miscible flow, finite volume methods for the pressure equation, upstream methods for transport, and coupling strategies for pressure and transport, with applications such as solute transport in heterogeneous media and viscous fingering. The second topic covers coupled flow and geomechanics, including governing equations of linear poroelasticity, finite element methods for elasticity, time stepping with flow–mechanics operator splitting, and coupled finite volume–finite element methods for flow–geomechanics, with applications such as 1D consolidation (Terzaghi problem), 2D subsidence, and fault stability.
Prerequisite
Approval by course instructor