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In order to quantify CO2 residual trapping in situ, two dedicated single-well push-pull experiments have been carried out at the Heletz, Israel pilot CO2 injection site. Field data from some parts of these experiments suggests the important effect of the hydrodynamic behavior in the injection-withdrawal well. In the present work a model capturing the CO2 transport and trapping behavior during Heletz Residual Trapping Experiment I is developed, with a special focus on coupled wellbore-reservoir flow. The simulation is carried out with the numerical simulator T2Well/ECO2N (Pan et al. 2011) which considers the wellbore-reservoir coupling. Of particular interest is to accurately model the period when the well is open to the atmosphere and self-producing CO2 and water in a geyser-like manner. It is also of interest to identify what conditions are causing the oscillating pressure-temperature behavior and the associated periodic gas-liquid releases, as well as to determine the amount of gas lost from the reservoir during this period. The results suggest that the behavior is due to cyclical CO2 exsolution from the aqueous phase along with a reduction of mobility of both CO2 and brine in the near wellbore-reservoir area, the latter being due to a zone of dispersed CO2 bubbles near the wellbore. This behavior could be successfully captured with a new set of relative permeability functions developed earlier for CO2 exsolution in laboratory experiments (Zuo et al., 2013).

In order to quantify CO2 residual trapping in situ, two dedicated single-well push-pull experiments have been carried out at the Heletz, Israel pilot CO2 injection site. Field data from some parts of these experiments suggests the important effect of the hydrodynamic behavior in the injection-withdrawal well. In the present work a model capturing the CO2 transport and trapping behavior during Heletz Residual Trapping Experiment I is developed, with a special focus on coupled wellbore-reservoir flow. The simulation is carried out with the numerical simulator T2Well/ECO2N (Pan et al. 2011) which considers the wellbore-reservoir coupling. Of particular interest is to accurately model the period when the well is open to the atmosphere and self-producing CO2 and water in a geyser-like manner. It is also of interest to identify what conditions are causing the oscillating pressure-temperature behavior and the associated periodic gas-liquid releases, as well as to determine the amount of gas lost from the reservoir during this period. The results suggest that the behavior is due to cyclical CO2 exsolution from the aqueous phase along with a reduction of mobility of both CO2 and brine in the near wellbore-reservoir area, the latter being due to a zone of dispersed CO2 bubbles near the wellbore. This behavior could be successfully captured with a new set of relative permeability functions developed earlier for CO2 exsolution in laboratory experiments (Zuo et al., 2013).

In order to quantify CO2 residual trapping in situ, two dedicated single-well push-pull experiments have been carried out at the Heletz, Israel pilot CO2 injection site. Field data from some parts of these experiments suggests the important effect of the hydrodynamic behavior in the injection-withdrawal well. In the present work a model capturing the CO2 transport and trapping behavior during Heletz Residual Trapping Experiment I is developed, with a special focus on coupled wellbore-reservoir flow. The simulation is carried out with the numerical simulator T2Well/ECO2N (Pan et al. 2011) which considers the wellbore-reservoir coupling. Of particular interest is to accurately model the period when the well is open to the atmosphere and self-producing CO2 and water in a geyser-like manner. It is also of interest to identify what conditions are causing the oscillating pressure-temperature behavior and the associated periodic gas-liquid releases, as well as to determine the amount of gas lost from the reservoir during this period. The results suggest that the behavior is due to cyclical CO2 exsolution from the aqueous phase along with a reduction of mobility of both CO2 and brine in the near wellbore-reservoir area, the latter being due to a zone of dispersed CO2 bubbles near the wellbore. This behavior could be successfully captured with a new set of relative permeability functions developed earlier for CO2 exsolution in laboratory experiments (Zuo et al., 2013).

In order to quantify CO2 residual trapping in situ, two dedicated single-well push-pull experiments have been carried out at the Heletz, Israel pilot CO2 injection site. Field data from some parts of these experiments suggests the important effect of the hydrodynamic behavior in the injection-withdrawal well. In the present work a model capturing the CO2 transport and trapping behavior during Heletz Residual Trapping Experiment I is developed, with a special focus on coupled wellbore-reservoir flow. The simulation is carried out with the numerical simulator T2Well/ECO2N (Pan et al. 2011) which considers the wellbore-reservoir coupling. Of particular interest is to accurately model the period when the well is open to the atmosphere and self-producing CO2 and water in a geyser-like manner. It is also of interest to identify what conditions are causing the oscillating pressure-temperature behavior and the associated periodic gas-liquid releases, as well as to determine the amount of gas lost from the reservoir during this period. The results suggest that the behavior is due to cyclical CO2 exsolution from the aqueous phase along with a reduction of mobility of both CO2 and brine in the near wellbore-reservoir area, the latter being due to a zone of dispersed CO2 bubbles near the wellbore. This behavior could be successfully captured with a new set of relative permeability functions developed earlier for CO2 exsolution in laboratory experiments (Zuo et al., 2013).

In order to quantify CO2 residual trapping in situ, two dedicated single-well push-pull experiments have been carried out at the Heletz, Israel pilot CO2 injection site. Field data from some parts of these experiments suggests the important effect of the hydrodynamic behavior in the injection-withdrawal well. In the present work a model capturing the CO2 transport and trapping behavior during Heletz Residual Trapping Experiment I is developed, with a special focus on coupled wellbore-reservoir flow. The simulation is carried out with the numerical simulator T2Well/ECO2N (Pan et al. 2011) which considers the wellbore-reservoir coupling. Of particular interest is to accurately model the period when the well is open to the atmosphere and self-producing CO2 and water in a geyser-like manner. It is also of interest to identify what conditions are causing the oscillating pressure-temperature behavior and the associated periodic gas-liquid releases, as well as to determine the amount of gas lost from the reservoir during this period. The results suggest that the behavior is due to cyclical CO2 exsolution from the aqueous phase along with a reduction of mobility of both CO2 and brine in the near wellbore-reservoir area, the latter being due to a zone of dispersed CO2 bubbles near the wellbore. This behavior could be successfully captured with a new set of relative permeability functions developed earlier for CO2 exsolution in laboratory experiments (Zuo et al., 2013).

In order to quantify CO2 residual trapping in situ, two dedicated single-well push-pull experiments have been carried out at the Heletz, Israel pilot CO2 injection site. Field data from some parts of these experiments suggests the important effect of the hydrodynamic behavior in the injection-withdrawal well. In the present work a model capturing the CO2 transport and trapping behavior during Heletz Residual Trapping Experiment I is developed, with a special focus on coupled wellbore-reservoir flow. The simulation is carried out with the numerical simulator T2Well/ECO2N (Pan et al. 2011) which considers the wellbore-reservoir coupling. Of particular interest is to accurately model the period when the well is open to the atmosphere and self-producing CO2 and water in a geyser-like manner. It is also of interest to identify what conditions are causing the oscillating pressure-temperature behavior and the associated periodic gas-liquid releases, as well as to determine the amount of gas lost from the reservoir during this period. The results suggest that the behavior is due to cyclical CO2 exsolution from the aqueous phase along with a reduction of mobility of both CO2 and brine in the near wellbore-reservoir area, the latter being due to a zone of dispersed CO2 bubbles near the wellbore. This behavior could be successfully captured with a new set of relative permeability functions developed earlier for CO2 exsolution in laboratory experiments (Zuo et al., 2013).

Potential CO2 leakage through existing open wellbores is one of the most significant hazards that need to be addressed in geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) projects. In the framework of the National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP) which requires fast computations for uncertainty analysis, rigorous simulation of the coupled wellbore-reservoir system is not practical. We have developed a 7,200-point look-up table reduced-order model (ROM) for estimating the potential leakage rate up open wellbores in response to CO2 injection nearby. The ROM is based on coupled simulations using T2Well/ECO2H which was run repeatedly for representative conditions relevant to NRAP to create a look-up table response-surface ROM. The ROM applies to a wellbore that fully penetrates a 20-m thick reservoir that is used for CO2 storage. The radially symmetric reservoir is assumed to have initially uniform pressure, temperature, gas saturation, and brine salinity, and it is assumed these conditions are held constant at the far-field boundary (100 m away from the wellbore). In such a system, the leakage can quickly reach quasi-steady state. The ROM table can be used to estimate both the free-phase CO2 and brine leakage rates through an open well as a function of wellbore and reservoir conditions. Results show that injection-induced pressure and reservoir gas saturation play important roles in controlling leakage. Caution must be used in the application of this ROM because well leakage is formally transient and the ROM lookup table was populated using quasi-steady simulation output after 1000 time steps which may correspond to different physical times for the various parameter combinations of the coupled wellbore-reservoir system.

Potential CO2 leakage through existing open wellbores is one of the most significant hazards that need to be addressed in geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) projects. In the framework of the National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP) which requires fast computations for uncertainty analysis, rigorous simulation of the coupled wellbore-reservoir system is not practical. We have developed a 7,200-point look-up table reduced-order model (ROM) for estimating the potential leakage rate up open wellbores in response to CO2 injection nearby. The ROM is based on coupled simulations using T2Well/ECO2H which was run repeatedly for representative conditions relevant to NRAP to create a look-up table response-surface ROM. The ROM applies to a wellbore that fully penetrates a 20-m thick reservoir that is used for CO2 storage. The radially symmetric reservoir is assumed to have initially uniform pressure, temperature, gas saturation, and brine salinity, and it is assumed these conditions are held constant at the far-field boundary (100 m away from the wellbore). In such a system, the leakage can quickly reach quasi-steady state. The ROM table can be used to estimate both the free-phase CO2 and brine leakage rates through an open well as a function of wellbore and reservoir conditions. Results show that injection-induced pressure and reservoir gas saturation play important roles in controlling leakage. Caution must be used in the application of this ROM because well leakage is formally transient and the ROM lookup table was populated using quasi-steady simulation output after 1000 time steps which may correspond to different physical times for the various parameter combinations of the coupled wellbore-reservoir system.

Closed-loop heat exchange for geothermal energy production involves injecting working fluid down a well that extends through the geothermal resource over a significant length to absorb heat by conduction through the well pipe. The well then needs to return to the surface for energy recovery and fluid re-injection to complete the cycle. We have carried out mixed convective-conductive fluid-flow modeling using a wellbore flow model for TOUGH2 called T2Well to investigate the critical factors that control closed-loop geothermal energy recovery. T2Well solves a mixed explicit-implicit set of momentum equations for flow in the pipe with full coupling to the implicit three-dimensional integral finite difference equations for Darcy flow in the porous medium. T2Well has the option of modeling conductive heat flow from the porous medium to the pipe by means of a semi-analytical solution which makes the computation very efficient because the porous medium does not have to be discretized. When the fully three-dimensional option is chosen, the porous medium is discretized and heat flow to the pipe is by conduction and convection, depending on reservoir permeability and other factors. Simulations of the closed-loop system for a variety of parameter values have been carried out to elucidate the heat recovery process. To the extent that convection may occur to aid in heat delivery to the pipe, the permeability of the geothermal reservoir, whether natural or stimulated, is an important property in heat extraction. The injection temperature and flow rate of the working fluid strongly control the ultimate energy recovery. Pipe diameter also plays a strong role in heat extraction, but is correlated with flow rate. Similarly, the choice of working fluid plays an important role, with water showing better heat extraction than CO2 for certain flow rates, while the CO2 has higher pressure at the production wellhead which can aid in surface energy recovery. In general, we find complex inter

Introduction Motivation The 2015-2016 Aliso Canyon/Porter Ranch natural gas well blowout emitted approximately 100,000 tonnes of natural gas (mostly methane, CH4) over four months. The blowout impacted thousands of nearby residents, who were displaced from their homes. The high visibility of the event has led to increased scrutiny of the safety of natural gas storage at the Aliso Canyon facility, as well as broader concern for natural gas storage integrity throughout the country. Federal Review of Well Integrity In April of 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) through the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), announced the formation of a new Interagency Task Force on Natural Gas Storage Safety. The Task Force enlisted a group of scientists and engineers at the DOE National Laboratories to review the state of well integrity in natural gas storage in the U.S. The overarching objective of the review is to gather, analyze, catalogue, and disseminate information and findings that can lead to improved natural gas storage safety and security and thus reduce the risk of future events. The “Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2016’’ or the ‘‘PIPES Act of 2016,’’which was signed into law on June 22, 2016, created an Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Leak Task Force led by the Secretary of Energy and consisting of representatives from the DOT, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Department of Commerce and the Department of Interior. The Task Force was asked to perform an analysis of the Aliso Canyon event and make recommendations on preventing similar incidents in the future. The PIPES Act also required that DOT/PHMSA promulgate minimum safety standards for underground storage that would take effect within two years. Background on the DOE National Laboratories Well Inte

Introduction Motivation The 2015-2016 Aliso Canyon/Porter Ranch natural gas well blowout emitted approximately 100,000 tonnes of natural gas (mostly methane, CH4) over four months. The blowout impacted thousands of nearby residents, who were displaced from their homes. The high visibility of the event has led to increased scrutiny of the safety of natural gas storage at the Aliso Canyon facility, as well as broader concern for natural gas storage integrity throughout the country. Federal Review of Well Integrity In April of 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) through the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), announced the formation of a new Interagency Task Force on Natural Gas Storage Safety. The Task Force enlisted a group of scientists and engineers at the DOE National Laboratories to review the state of well integrity in natural gas storage in the U.S. The overarching objective of the review is to gather, analyze, catalogue, and disseminate information and findings that can lead to improved natural gas storage safety and security and thus reduce the risk of future events. The “Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2016’’ or the ‘‘PIPES Act of 2016,’’which was signed into law on June 22, 2016, created an Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Leak Task Force led by the Secretary of Energy and consisting of representatives from the DOT, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Department of Commerce and the Department of Interior. The Task Force was asked to perform an analysis of the Aliso Canyon event and make recommendations on preventing similar incidents in the future. The PIPES Act also required that DOT/PHMSA promulgate minimum safety standards for underground storage that would take effect within two years. Background on the DOE National Laboratories Well Inte

Closed-loop heat exchange for geothermal energy production involves injecting working fluid down a well that extends through the geothermal resource over a significant length to absorb heat by conduction through the well pipe. The well then needs to return to the surface for energy recovery and fluid re-injection to complete the cycle. We have carried out mixed convective-conductive fluid-flow modeling using a wellbore flow model for TOUGH2 called T2Well to investigate the critical factors that control closed-loop geothermal energy recovery. T2Well solves a mixed explicit-implicit set of momentum equations for flow in the pipe with full coupling to the implicit three-dimensional integral finite difference equations for Darcy flow in the porous medium. T2Well has the option of modeling conductive heat flow from the porous medium to the pipe by means of a semi-analytical solution which makes the computation very efficient because the porous medium does not have to be discretized. When the fully three-dimensional option is chosen, the porous medium is discretized and heat flow to the pipe is by conduction and convection, depending on reservoir permeability and other factors. Simulations of the closed-loop system for a variety of parameter values have been carried out to elucidate the heat recovery process. To the extent that convection may occur to aid in heat delivery to the pipe, the permeability of the geothermal reservoir, whether natural or stimulated, is an important property in heat extraction. The injection temperature and flow rate of the working fluid strongly control the ultimate energy recovery. Pipe diameter also plays a strong role in heat extraction, but is correlated with flow rate. Similarly, the choice of working fluid plays an important role, with water showing better heat extraction than CO2 for certain flow rates, while the CO2 has higher pressure at the production wellhead which can aid in surface energy recovery. In general, we find complex inter

An understanding of the hydrologic interactions among atmosphere, land surface, and subsurface is one of the keys to understanding the water cycling system that supports our life system on earth. Properly modeling such interactions is a difficult task because of theinherent coupled processes and complex feedback structures among subsystems. In this paper, we present a model that simulates the landsurface and subsurface hydrologic response to meteorological forcing. This model combines a state of the art landsurface model, the NCAR Community Land Model version 3 (CLM3), with a variably saturatedgroundwater model, the TOUGH2, through an internal interface that includes flux and state variables shared by the two submodels. Specifically, TOUGH2, in its simulation, uses infiltration, evaporation, and rootuptake rates, calculated by CLM3, as source/sink terms? CLM3, in its simulation, uses saturation and capillary pressure profiles, calculated by TOUGH2, as state variables. This new model, CLMT2, preserves the best aspects of both submodels: the state of the art modeling capability of surface energy and hydrologic processes from CLM3 and the more realistic physical process based modeling capability of subsurface hydrologic processes from TOUGH2. The preliminary simulation results show that the coupled model greatly improves the predictions of the water table, evapotranspiration, surface temperature, and moisture in the top 20 cm of soil at a real watershed, as evaluated from 18 years of observed data. The new model is also ready to be coupled with an atmospheric simulation model, representing one of the first models that are capable to simulate hydraulic processes from top of the atmosphere to deep ground.

WINGRIDDER V3.0 is a Windows-based software for designing and generating numerical grids for numerical simulators that are based on the "integral finite difference" or the "control volume" numerical scheme (e.g., TOUGH2, Pruess et al., 1996). The user can design and generate grid that properly represents the stratigraphic features, inclined faults, and repository. WINGRIDDER V3.0 is an upgrade from WINGRIDDER V2.0. This revision includes testable requirements as listed in the Requirements Document (RD), 10024-RD-3.0-00, Section 2. With new features, WINGRIDDER V3.0 adds the ability to generate a multiple-interactive-continuum (MINC) grid.

An understanding of the hydrologic interactions among atmosphere, land surface, and subsurface is one of the keys to understanding the water cycling system that supports our life system on earth. Properly modeling such interactions is a difficult task because of theinherent coupled processes and complex feedback structures among subsystems. In this paper, we present a model that simulates the landsurface and subsurface hydrologic response to meteorological forcing. This model combines a state of the art landsurface model, the NCAR Community Land Model version 3 (CLM3), with a variably saturatedgroundwater model, the TOUGH2, through an internal interface that includes flux and state variables shared by the two submodels. Specifically, TOUGH2, in its simulation, uses infiltration, evaporation, and rootuptake rates, calculated by CLM3, as source/sink terms? CLM3, in its simulation, uses saturation and capillary pressure profiles, calculated by TOUGH2, as state variables. This new model, CLMT2, preserves the best aspects of both submodels: the state of the art modeling capability of surface energy and hydrologic processes from CLM3 and the more realistic physical process based modeling capability of subsurface hydrologic processes from TOUGH2. The preliminary simulation results show that the coupled model greatly improves the predictions of the water table, evapotranspiration, surface temperature, and moisture in the top 20 cm of soil at a real watershed, as evaluated from 18 years of observed data. The new model is also ready to be coupled with an atmospheric simulation model, representing one of the first models that are capable to simulate hydraulic processes from top of the atmosphere to deep ground.

WINGRIDDER V3.0 is a Windows-based software for designing and generating numerical grids for numerical simulators that are based on the "integral finite difference" or the "control volume" numerical scheme (e.g., TOUGH2, Pruess et al., 1996). The user can design and generate grid that properly represents the stratigraphic features, inclined faults, and repository. WINGRIDDER V3.0 is an upgrade from WINGRIDDER V2.0. This revision includes testable requirements as listed in the Requirements Document (RD), 10024-RD-3.0-00, Section 2. With new features, WINGRIDDER V3.0 adds the ability to generate a multiple-interactive-continuum (MINC) grid.

CLMT2 is designed to simulate the land-surface and subsurface hydrologic response to meteorological forcing. This model combines a state-of-the-art land-surface model, the NCAR Community Land Model version 3 (CLM3), with a variably saturated groundwater model, the TOUGH2, through an internal interface that includes flux and state variables shared by the two submodels. Specifically, TOUGH2, in its simulation, uses infiltration, evaporation, and root-uptake rates, calculated by CLM3, as source/sink terms; CLM3, in its simulation, uses saturation and capillary pressure profiles, calculated by TOUGH2, as state variables. This new model, CLMT2, preserves the best aspects of both submodels: the state-of-the-art modeling capability of surface energy and hydrologic processes from CLM3 (including snow, runoff, freezing/melting, evapotranspiration, radiation, and biophysiological processes) and the more realistic physical-process-based modeling capability of subsurface hydrologic processes from TOUGH2 (including heterogeneity, three-dimensional flow, seamless combining of unsaturated and saturated zone, and water table). The preliminary simulation results show that the coupled model greatly improved the predictions of the water table, evapotranspiration, and surface temperature at a real watershed, as evaluated using 18 years of observed data. The new model is also ready to be coupled with an atmospheric simulation model, representing one of the first models that are capable to simulate hydraulic processes from top of the atmosphere to deep-ground.

CLMT2 is designed to simulate the land-surface and subsurface hydrologic response to meteorological forcing. This model combines a state-of-the-art land-surface model, the NCAR Community Land Model version 3 (CLM3), with a variably saturated groundwater model, the TOUGH2, through an internal interface that includes flux and state variables shared by the two submodels. Specifically, TOUGH2, in its simulation, uses infiltration, evaporation, and root-uptake rates, calculated by CLM3, as source/sink terms; CLM3, in its simulation, uses saturation and capillary pressure profiles, calculated by TOUGH2, as state variables. This new model, CLMT2, preserves the best aspects of both submodels: the state-of-the-art modeling capability of surface energy and hydrologic processes from CLM3 (including snow, runoff, freezing/melting, evapotranspiration, radiation, and biophysiological processes) and the more realistic physical-process-based modeling capability of subsurface hydrologic processes from TOUGH2 (including heterogeneity, three-dimensional flow, seamless combining of unsaturated and saturated zone, and water table). The preliminary simulation results show that the coupled model greatly improved the predictions of the water table, evapotranspiration, and surface temperature at a real watershed, as evaluated using 18 years of observed data. The new model is also ready to be coupled with an atmospheric simulation model, representing one of the first models that are capable to simulate hydraulic processes from top of the atmosphere to deep-ground.

Geological storage in sedimentary basins is considered a viable technology in mitigating atmospheric CO2 emissions. Alternating high and low permeability strata are common in these basins. The distribution of injected CO2 among such layers affects e.g. CO2 storage efficiency, capacity and plume footprint. A numerical study on the distribution of injected CO2 into a multi-layered reservoir, accounting for coupled wellbore-reservoir flow, was carried out using the T2Well/ECO2N code. A site-specific case as well as a more general case were considered. Properties and processes governing the distribution of sequestrated CO2 were identified and the potential to operationally modify the distribution was investigated. The distribution of CO2 was seen to differ from that of injected water, i.e. it was not proportional to the transmissivity of the layers. The results indicate that caution should be taken when performing numerical simulations of CO2 injection into layered formations. Ignoring coupled wellbore-reservoir flow and instead adopting a simple boundary condition at the injection well, such as an inflow rate proportional to the transmissivity of each layer, may result in significant underestimation of the proportion of CO2 ending up in the shallower layers, as not all relevant processes are accounted for. This discrepancy has been thoroughly investigated and quantified for several CO2 sequestration scenarios.

Characterizing percolation patterns in unsaturated zones has posed a greater challenge to numerical modeling investigations than comparable saturated zone studies, because of the heterogeneous nature of unsaturated media as well as the great number of variables impacting unsaturated zone flow. This paper presents an integrated modeling methodology for quantitatively characterizing percolation patterns in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a proposed underground repository site for storing high-level radioactive waste. It takes into account the multiple coupled processes of air, water, heat flow and chemical isotopic transport in Yucca Mountain s highly heterogeneous, unsaturated fractured tuffs. The modeling approach integrates a wide variety of moisture, pneumatic, thermal, and isotopic geochemical field data into a comprehensive three-dimensional numerical model for modeling analyses. Modeling results are examined against different types of field-measured data and then used to evaluate different hydrogeological conceptual models and their results of flow patterns in the unsaturated zone. In particular, this integration model provides a much clearer understanding of percolation patterns and flow behavior through the unsaturated zone, both crucial issues in assessing repository performance. The integrated approach for quantifying Yucca Mountain s flow system is also demonstrated to provide a comprehensive modeling tool for characterizing flow and transport processes in complex subsurface systems.

Characterizing percolation patterns in unsaturated zones has posed a greater challenge to numerical modeling investigations than comparable saturated zone studies, because of the heterogeneous nature of unsaturated media as well as the great number of variables impacting unsaturated zone flow. This paper presents an integrated modeling methodology for quantitatively characterizing percolation patterns in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a proposed underground repository site for storing high-level radioactive waste. It takes into account the multiple coupled processes of air, water, heat flow and chemical isotopic transport in Yucca Mountain s highly heterogeneous, unsaturated fractured tuffs. The modeling approach integrates a wide variety of moisture, pneumatic, thermal, and isotopic geochemical field data into a comprehensive three-dimensional numerical model for modeling analyses. Modeling results are examined against different types of field-measured data and then used to evaluate different hydrogeological conceptual models and their results of flow patterns in the unsaturated zone. In particular, this integration model provides a much clearer understanding of percolation patterns and flow behavior through the unsaturated zone, both crucial issues in assessing repository performance. The integrated approach for quantifying Yucca Mountain s flow system is also demonstrated to provide a comprehensive modeling tool for characterizing flow and transport processes in complex subsurface systems.

Characterizing percolation patterns in unsaturated zones has posed a greater challenge to numerical modeling investigations than comparable saturated zone studies, because of the heterogeneous nature of unsaturated media as well as the great number of variables impacting unsaturated zone flow. This paper presents an integrated modeling methodology for quantitatively characterizing percolation patterns in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a proposed underground repository site for storing high-level radioactive waste. It takes into account the multiple coupled processes of air, water, heat flow and chemical isotopic transport in Yucca Mountain s highly heterogeneous, unsaturated fractured tuffs. The modeling approach integrates a wide variety of moisture, pneumatic, thermal, and isotopic geochemical field data into a comprehensive three-dimensional numerical model for modeling analyses. Modeling results are examined against different types of field-measured data and then used to evaluate different hydrogeological conceptual models and their results of flow patterns in the unsaturated zone. In particular, this integration model provides a much clearer understanding of percolation patterns and flow behavior through the unsaturated zone, both crucial issues in assessing repository performance. The integrated approach for quantifying Yucca Mountain s flow system is also demonstrated to provide a comprehensive modeling tool for characterizing flow and transport processes in complex subsurface systems.

Modeling fracture-matrix interaction within a complex multiple phase flow system is a key issue for fractured reservoir simulation. Commonly used mathematical models for dealing with such interactions employ a dual- or multiple-continuum concept, in which fractures and matrix are represented as overlapping, different, but interconnected continua, described by parallel sets of conservation equations. The conventional single-point upstream weighting scheme, in which the fracture relative permeability is used to represent the counterpart at the fracture-matrix interface, is the most common scheme by which to estimate flow mobility for fracture-matrix flow terms. However, such a scheme has a serious flaw, which may lead to unphysical solutions or significant numerical errors. To overcome the limitation of the conventional upstream weighting scheme, this paper presents a physically based modeling approach for estimating physically correct relative permeability in calculating multiphase flow between fractures and the matrix, using continuity of capillary pressure at the fracture-matrix interface. The proposed approach has been implemented into two multiphase reservoir simulators and verified using analytical solutions and laboratory experimental data. The new method is demonstrated to be accurate, numerically efficient, and easy to implement in dual- or multiple-continuum models.