Parallel simulations of pore-scale flow through porous media

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is a versatile technique which can be applied to single and multiphase flow through porous media. The Versatilit y of SPH is offset by its computational expense which limits the practicabi lity of SPH for large problems involving low Reynolds number flow. A parall el pore-scale numerical model based on SPH is described for modeling flow p henomena in porous media. Aspects of SPH which complicate parallelization a re emphasized. The speed of the method is demonstrated to be proportional t o the number of processors for test cases where load balance was achieved. The parallel algorithm permits the application of SPH to more complicated p orous media problems than previously considered. For such problems, best pe rformance is achieved when several soil grains are simulated by each proces sor. Finally, future applications of the method and possible extensions are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.