Porous media consist of a solid matrix and void space (pores). Natural and engineered porous media include rocks and soils, membranes and tissues, foams and sponges, with applications ranging from geothermal energy production, geological radioactive waste storage to fuel cells, and micro-circulation in the brain. Porous media are intrinsically heterogeneous from the millimeter (pore geometry) to the kilometer (composition of different materials) scale. Multi-scale heterogeneity strongly impacts fluid flow and the transport and mixing of dissolved substances (contaminants, nutrients), which represents a major challenge for their prediction. The EU-funded MixUQ project will investigate the heterogeneity-induced dynamics of these processes and their uncertainty due to spatial fluctuations. These efforts will lead to the development of new models to accurately predict mixing and transport in heterogeneous media with implications for different fields and porous media applications.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 895152.
