A discrete model for the recovery of oil from a reservoir (Q1072886)

We simulate oil recovery by means of a molecular approach: we consider the solid and liquid materials to be composed of a finite number of particles, which are approximants for molecules. Porous flow is studied qualitatively under the assumption that particles of rock, oil, and the flooding flow interact with each other locally by means of a compensating Lennard-Jones potential and are also under the influence of gravity. Extensive computations are described and discussed in which initial data and parameters are varied. A comparison is made with actual physical experiments.