An Extended-FEM Model for CO2 Leakage Through a Naturally Fractured Cap-Rock During Carbon Dioxide Sequestration

In this paper, a numerical model is developed for the assessment of carbon dioxide transport through naturally fractured cap-rocks during CO₂ sequestration in underground aquifers. The cap-rock contains two types of fracture with different length scales: micro-cracks (fissures) and macro-cracks (faults). The effect of micro-cracks is incorporated implicitly by modifying the intrinsic permeability tensor of porous matrix, while the macro-cracks are modeled explicitly using the extended finite element method (X-FEM). The fractured porous medium is decomposed into the porous matrix and fracture domain, which are occupied with two immiscible fluid phases, water and CO₂. The flow inside the matrix domain is governed by the Darcy law, while the flow within the fracture is modeled using the Poiseuille flow. The mass conservation law is fulfilled for each fluid phase at both porous matrix and fracture domain; moreover, the mass exchange between the matrix and fracture is guaranteed through the integral formulation of mass conservation law. Applying the X-FEM technique, the explicit representation of macro-cracks is modeled by enriching the standard finite element approximation space with an enrichment function. Finally, several numerical examples of CO₂ injection into a brine aquifer below a naturally fractured cap-rock are modeled in order to investigate the effects of cracks’ aperture and orientation as well as the temperature of aquifer and the depth of injection on the leakage pattern of the carbon dioxide through the cap-rock.

     

Error estimation,adaptivity and data transfer in enriched plasticity continua to analysis of shear band localization

In this paper, an adaptive FE analysis is presented based on error estimation, adaptive mesh refinement and data transfer for enriched plasticity continua in the modelling of strain localization. As the classical continuum models suffer from pathological mesh-dependence in the strain softening models, the governing equations are regularized by adding rotational degrees-of-freedom to the conventional degrees-of-freedom. Adaptive strategy using element elongation is applied to compute the distribution of required element size using the estimated error distribution. Once a new mesh is generated, state variables and history-dependent variables are mapped from the old finite element mesh to the new one. In order to transfer the history-dependent variables from the old to new mesh, the values of internal variables available at Gauss point are first projected at nodes of old mesh, then the values of the old nodes are transferred to the nodes of new mesh and finally, the values at Gauss points of new elements are determined with respect to nodal values of the new mesh. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed model and computational algorithms is demonstrated by several numerical examples.     

Fuzzy level control of a tank with optimum valve movement

This paper presents a fuzzy-based controller chip to control the level of a tank. A motor valve controls the tank level. The significant aim of this paper is to present a controller for minimizing the movement of the motor valve, at the same time, setting the level of the tank at defined points. The advantages of this type of control are to reduce both motor and input valve amortization and to increase their useful lifetime. On the other hand, simple and inexpensive elements are used in order to measure tank level and output flow. This is another advantage of the method. The controller is designed by fuzzy techniques in CMOS technology. The die size of the chip is .     

Finite element simulation for dynamic large elastoplastic deformation in metal powder forming

In this paper, a transient dynamic analysis of the powder compaction process is simulated by a large displacement finite element method based on a total and updated Lagrangian formulation. A combination of the Mohr–Coulomb and elliptical yield cap model, which reflects the stress state and degree of densification, is applied to describe the constitutive model of powder materials. A Coulomb friction law and a plasticity theory of friction in the context of an interface element formulation are employed in the constitutive modelling of the frictional behaviour between the die and powder. Finally, the powder behaviour during the compaction of a plain bush, a rotational flanged and a shaped tip component are analysed numerically. It is shown that the updated Lagrangian formulation, using a combination of the Mohr–Coulomb and elliptical cap model, can be effective in simulating metal powder compaction.     

Modeling Fluid Flow in Fractured Porous Media with the Interfacial Conditions Between Porous Medium and Fracture

One of the most popular models that has been applied to predict the fluid velocity inside the fracture with impermeable walls is the cubic law. It highlights that the mean flux along the fracture is proportional to the cubic of fracture aperture. However, for a fractured porous medium, the normal and tangential interface conditions between the fracture and porous matrix can change the velocity profile inside the fracture. In this paper, a correction factor is introduced for flow equation along the fracture by imposing the continuity of normal and tangential components of velocity at the interface between the fracture and porous matrix. As a result, the mean velocity inside the fracture depends not only on the fracture aperture, but also on a set of non-dimensional numbers, including the matrix porosity, the ratio of intrinsic permeability of fracture to that of matrix, the wall Reynolds number, and the ratio of normal velocity on one wall to the other. Finally, the introduced correction factor is employed within the extended finite element method, which is widely used for numerical simulation of fluid flow within the fractured porous media. Several numerical results are presented for the fluid flow through a specimen containing single fracture, in order to investigate the deviation from the cubic law in different case studies.

     

Extended finite element modeling of deformable porous media with arbitrary interfaces

In this paper, an enriched finite element method is presented for numerical simulation of saturated porous media. The arbitrary discontinuities, such as material interfaces, are encountered via the extended finite element method (X-FEM) by enhancing the standard FEM displacements. The X-FEM technique is applied to the governing equations of porous media for the spatial discretization, followed by a generalized Newmark scheme used for the time domain discretization. In X-FEM, the material interfaces are represented independently of element boundaries and the process is accomplished by partitioning the domain with some triangular sub-elements whose Gauss points are used for integration of the domain of elements. Finally, several numerical examples are analyzed, including the dynamic analysis of the failure of lower San Fernando dam, to demonstrate the efficiency of the X-FEM technique in saturated porous soils.     

3D dynamic modeling of powder forming processes via a simple and efficient node-to-surface contact algorithm

In this paper, a simple and efficient contact algorithm is presented for the evaluation of density distribution in three-dimensional dynamic modeling of powder compaction processes. The contact node-to-surface algorithm is employed to impose the contact constraints in large deformation frictional contact, and the contact frictional slip is modified by the Coulomb friction law to simulate the frictional behavior between the rigid punch and the work-piece. The 3D nonlinear contact friction algorithm is employed together with a double-surface cap plasticity model within the framework of large finite element deformation in order to predict the non-uniform relative density distribution during the dynamic simulation of powder die-pressing. The accuracy and robustness of contact algorithm is verified by the impact analysis of two elastic rods, which is compared with the analytical solution. Finally, the performance of computational schemes is illustrated in dynamic modeling of a set of powder components.     

Three-dimensional cohesive fracture modeling of non-planar crack growth using adaptive FE technique

In this paper, the three-dimensional adaptive finite element modeling is presented for cohesive fracture analysis of non-planer crack growth. The technique is performed based on the Zienkiewicz–Zhu error estimator by employing the modified superconvergent patch recovery procedure for the stress recovery. The Espinosa–Zavattieri bilinear constitutive equation is used to describe the cohesive tractions and displacement jumps. The 3D cohesive fracture element is employed to simulate the crack growth in a non-planar curved pattern. The crack growth criterion is proposed in terms of the principal stress and its direction. Finally, several numerical examples are analyzed to demonstrate the validity and capability of proposed computational algorithm. The predicted crack growth simulation and corresponding load-displacement curves are compared with the experimental and other numerical results reported in literature.     

A three-invariant cap model with isotropic–kinematic hardening rule and associated plasticity for granular materials

In this paper, a three-invariant cap model is developed for the isotropic–kinematic hardening and associated plasticity of granular materials. The model is based on the concepts of elasticity and plasticity theories together with an associated flow rule and a work hardening law for plastic deformations of granulars. The hardening rule is defined by its decomposition into the isotropic and kinematic material functions. The constitutive elasto-plastic matrix and its components are derived by using the definition of yield surface, material functions and non-linear elastic behavior, as function of hardening parameters. The model assessment and procedure for determination of material parameters are described. Finally, the applicability of proposed plasticity model is demonstrated in numerical simulation of several triaxial and confining pressure tests on different granular materials, including: wheat, rape, synthetic granulate and sand.