Coupling Lattice Boltzmann and Finite Volume Methods for Simulation of Reactive Transport

A numerical model is developed to study reactive transport at pore scale. It couples lattice Boltzmann and finite volume methods to compute fluid flow and reaction processes. The model is validated by comparing numerically simulated reactive flow against the published results of dynamic imaging of carbonate dissolution. The porosity profiles and permeability-porosity relationship are compared with the experimental results. The variation of the porous structure is quantitatively analysed and compared with those obtained from dynamic imaging experiments. The findings show that the numerical framework provides robust and accurate prediction of porous media alteration due to flow of reactive fluids and can be used as a predictive tool for resolving reaction mechanisms in porous media with applications in reservoir engineering, carbon dioxide sequestration, hydrological and environmental studies.