Numerical Modeling of Reactive Transport Processes in Porous Rock

The study of reactive mass transportation phenomena in porous rock are fundamental issues in geoscience. The aim of the project is to capture these processes qualitatively as well as quantitatively. For this purpose a geochemoporomechanical material model for the description of mineral forming and resorption processes as obtained from reactive mass transportation will be developed. Chemical processes such as mineral forming and resorption will be formulated in the framework of thermodynamics of porous media. For an appropriate description of reaction kinetics of the solved and dissolved species the parameters describing the reaction kinetics will be calibrated according to experimental data. Once the mathematical model for the description of reactive transport processes in porous rock is made the problem is solved by means of appropriate numerical tools. The algorithmic treatment of the problem will be made in a scale invariant setting. Such an implementation of the algorithms accounts for the various length and time scales encountered in geoscientific problems. The employed algorithms for the solution of the numerical problems must be formulated in an accurate and efficient manner in order to account for the large size of the equation systems arising from reactive transport problems. The behavior of the constitutive model will be compared with geological field data.