In this paper, we present a multiscale model reduction technique for unsaturated filtration problem in fractured porous media using an Online Generalized Multiscale finite element method. The flow problem in unsaturated soils is described by the Richards equation. To approximate fractures we use the Discrete Fracture Model (DFM). Complex geometric features of the computational domain requires the construction of a fine grid that explicitly resolves the heterogeneities such as fractures. This approach leads to systems with a large number of unknowns, which require large computational costs. In order to develop a more efficient numerical scheme, we propose a model reduction procedure based on the Generalized Multiscale Finite element method (GMsFEM). The GMsFEM allows solving such problems on a very coarse grid using basis functions that can capture heterogeneities. In the GMsFEM, there are offline and online stages. In the offline stage, we construct snapshot spaces and solve local spectral problems to obtain multiscale basis functions. These spectral problems are defined in the snapshot space in each local domain. To improve the accuracy of the method, we add online basis functions in the online stage. The construction of the online basis functions is based on the local residuals. The use of online bases will allow us to get a significant improvement in the accuracy of the method. We present results with different number of offline and online multisacle basis functions. We compare all results with reference solution. Our results show that the proposed method is able to achieve high accuracy with a small computational cost.

In this paper, we consider unsaturated filtration in heterogeneous porous media with rough surface topography. The surface topography plays an important role in determining the flow process and includes multiscale features. The mathematical model is based on the Richards’ equation with three different types of boundary conditions on the surface: Dirichlet, Neumann, and Robin boundary conditions. For coarse-grid discretization, the Generalized Multiscale Finite Element Method (GMsFEM) is used. Multiscale basis functions that incorporate small scale heterogeneities into the basis functions are constructed. To treat rough boundaries, we construct additional basis functions to take into account the influence of boundary conditions on rough surfaces. We present numerical results for two-dimensional and three-dimensional model problems. To verify the obtained results, we calculate relative errors between the multiscale and reference (fine-grid) solutions for different numbers of multiscale basis functions. We obtain a good agreement between fine-grid and coarse-grid solutions.

In this paper, the solution of the Darcy-Forchheimer model in high contrast heterogeneous media is studied. This problem is solved by a mixed finite element method (MFEM) on a fine grid (the reference solution), where the pressure is approximated by piecewise constant elements; meanwhile, the velocity is discretized by the lowest order Raviart-Thomas elements. The solution on a coarse grid is performed by using the mixed generalized multiscale finite element method (mixed GMsFEM). The nonlinear equation can be solved by the well known Picard iteration. Several numerical experiments are presented in a two-dimensional heterogeneous domain to show the good applicability of the proposed multiscale method.