Trial lecture
"From Pore to Field Scale: Numerical Modeling Concepts for Subsurface Flow and Transport"
Time and place: Mars 23, 2026 10:15 AM. Gamle festsal, Domus Academica
Main research findings
Reservoir simulations are an intrinsic part of the decision-making process during the development of petroleum reservoirs. These simulations require complex mathematical models, sophisticated methods from numerical mathematics and considerable computational resources. The simulations model how the oil, gas and water flow inside the reservoir, and how this flow is affected by the injection and extraction of fluids through wells. The central component of the mathematical models is a system of so-called partial differential equations, which model how physical quantities (like pressure and saturation) vary from one place to another, and how they change over time. To solve these equations, we need advanced simulation software built specifically for these models. Since solving the equations can take an enormous amount of time, it becomes important to ensure that the simulator runs as efficiently as possible. Also, it is necessary to evaluate the correctness of the solutions before using the results to make decisions. This thesis introduces and evaluates methods to improve the efficiency of such simulators. It also attempts to ensure that the simulator reliably succeeds in solving the mathematical models, and introduces ways to evaluate whether the results are sufficiently accurate.
Adjudication committee
Professor Bernd Flemisch, University of Stuttgart, Germany
Senior Researcher Trine Mykkeltvedt, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Norway
Professor Torbjørn Rognes, University of Oslo, Norway
Supervisors
Professor Xing Cai, University of Oslo, Norway
Professor Tor Skeie, University of Oslo, Norway
Researcher Alf Birger Rustad, Equinor, Norway
Chair of defence
- Professor Özgü Mira Alay-Erduran, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
Contact information at Department: Pernille Adine Nordby