Renormalization approach for the simulation of two-phase flow in porous media

A new method for simulating two-phase flow in porous media using hierarchic al lattices is presented. These type of lattices allowed us to perform simu lations of very large systems at a very low computational cost. It is shown how flow properties agree with those found using conventional simulations with and without capillary pressure. The interplay between heterogeneity ef fects and capillary forces is analyzed. It is shown that capillary pressure reduces the irruption time for the case of homogeneous systems while produ cing the opposite effect when disorder is present. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scienc e B.V. All rights reserved.