Verification of a sequential thermo-poroelasticity formulation in PFLOTRAN

Abstract

We present the verification of a thermo--hydrologic--mechanical capability implemented within the PFLOTRAN framework, with emphasis on benchmark-based assessment of the THM implementation. The thermal--hydrologic (TH) equations for mass and energy balance are solved on control-volume blocks or Voronoi cells, while the quasi-static momentum balance is solved on an element-based dual mesh. The coupling is achieved using a strictly sequential, non-iterative fixed-stress split strategy in which the TH system is solved implicitly for pressure and temperature, followed by a mechanics update for the displacement unknowns. Several verification problems are set up against poroelastic and thermo-poroelastic benchmarks, demonstrating agreement with analytical or semi-analytical benchmark responses for pressure diffusion, the temperature field, and mechanical deformation. In addition, we propose a treatment for discontinuities (e.g., fractures) based on mapping between mechanical and flow degrees of freedom, and validate the approach by comparison to an analytical solution. This work establishes the basis for thermo-poroelastic coupling in PFLOTRAN and provides a solid modeling foundation for a range of applications (e.g., enhanced geothermal systems and other subsurface energy storage) involving coupled thermal--hydrologic--mechanical (THM) processes in geologic porous media.