Lattice Boltzmann simulation of a multicomponent viscous fingering instability at high Schmidt number

Abstract

The simulation of the multicomponent viscous fingering instability in the case of miscible fluids at high Schmidt number is investigated. This instability, firstly highlighted by Saffman and Taylor, occurs when a fluid of low viscosity moves into a fluid of higher viscosity. For this study, the mixing dynamics of two miscible components a and b of equal molar mass is simulated using a lattice Boltzmann model at the pore scale and, for a first attempt, at the representative volume.