Generation of three dimensional flow fields for statistically anisotropic heterogeneous porous media

A methodology for generating three dimensional (3D) flow fields for statistically anisotropic heterogeneous porous media is presented and demonstrated. The simulated flow fields are shown to exhibit the input spatial correlation structure and observe mass continuity. Sample flow fields are presented in the form of cross sectional slices of the 3D formation. These cross sections demonstrate visually the characteristics of subsurface flow. The method was found to be faster than traditional techniques in terms of its computational requirements. Given this method, it is possible to generate the large number of realizations of a velocity field necessary to compute high order statistics in transport problems.