On convergence of explicit finite volume scheme for one-dimensional three-component two-phase flow model in porous media (Q2075490)

In this work, an explicit finite volume scheme for a one-dimensional nonlinear, degenerate, convection-diffusion equation is developed and analysed with respect to \(L^\infty\) stability and bounded variation (BV) estimates. The set of equations considered here arise from tertiary oil recovery flow models connected to applications in petroleum reservoirs. The main difficulty in the analysis of solutions for such problems lies in the lack of regularity due to the presence of a degenerate nonlinear diffusion term. The focus of the work lies in the analysis of a numerical scheme consisting of an explicit discretization of the concentration-saturation equation and a Godunov scheme for the advection terms. The \(L^\infty\) and BV stability under appropriate CFL conditions are carefully addressed. Moreover, it is shown that the scheme satisfies a discrete maximum principle. The convergence of the approximate solution to the weak solution of the problem is proved, and convergence to a weak solution of the problem in \(L^1\) is justified. The numerical scheme is tested numerically in one dimension for the discretization of the above mentioned equations, in the case of immiscible two-phase flows in porous media. The set-up deals with the displacement of oil by water in a horizontal porous core sample where the process of an injection of water with a polymer component is studied. The approximate solution using the approach presented in this work was compared to a numerical solution obtained by a standard method which treats the diffusion term with mixed finite elements.