Lattice Boltzmann model for immiscible three-phase flows with phase change.

Abstract

This work presents a lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for immiscible multiphase flow with phase change. By integrating the pseudopotential model with the color-gradient model, the current model is capable of capturing phase change spontaneously during the immiscible multiphase flows for the first time, with corrected interaction forces at interfaces. The proposed model is comprehensively verified via multiple benchmark cases and applied to investigate the phase change effects on immiscible multiphase flow and displacement in porous media. Our simulation results reveal mechanisms from the gas blockage effects at different capillary numbers and the compressibility effect during immiscible multiphase displacement with phase change in porous media. The pronounced disparity between models that incorporate phase change or not underscores the critical importance of considering phase transitions in immiscible multiphase flow systems.