Subsurface Flow Module

User Stories

Peering into the Mouth of a VolcanoPeering into the Mouth of a Volcano

FEMLAB GmbH, Zürich, Switzerland
A group of scientists from three institutions are researching how to use information about electromagnetic fields in volcanoes to investigate and observe...

Contamination of Groundwater-Fed Springs in UgandaContamination of Groundwater-Fed Springs in Uganda

Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden
Dr. Roger Thunvik and Robinah Kulabako of the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm use COMSOL Multiphysics to define just how the water contamination...

Example Models

Perforated WellPerforated Well

Analysis of fluid flow into wells often begins with the assumption that the intake fluid is uniform along the entire length of wellbore. This assumption runs into trouble when applied to the modeling of perforated wells. When these wells...

Pore-Scale FlowPore-Scale Flow

This non-conventional model of porous media flow utilizes Navier-Stokes equations in the interstices of a porous media. The model comes from the pore-scale flow experiments conducted by Arturo Keller, Maria Auset, and Sanya...

Reaction ChainReaction Chain

This model describes the simultaneous transport of three solutes in a chain reaction within a variably saturated flow field. Involved are advection, dispersion, sorption, biodegradation, decay, and volatilization. The parent solute...

Buoyancy Flow with DarcyBuoyancy Flow with Darcy's Law: The Elder Problem

Density variations can initiate flow even in a still fluid. In earth systems, density variations can arise from naturally occurring salts, subsurface temperature changes, or migrating pollution. This buoyant or density-driven flow factors...

Open-Hole Multilateral WellOpen-Hole Multilateral Well

Multilateral wells—those with multiple legs that branch off from a single conduit—can produce oil efficiently because the legs can tap multiple productive zones and navigate around impermeable ones. Unfortunately, drilling engineers...

Discrete FractureDiscrete Fracture

This example models free flow through a fracture in a block of porous media, where flow in the fracture is much faster than in the matrix block. The Darcy's law physics interface is used to model the flow in the the porous...