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Abstract We consider the interaction between a poroelastic structure, described using the Biot model in primal form, and a free-flowing fluid, modelled with the time-dependent incompressible Stokes equations. We propose a diffuse interface model in which a phase field function is used to write each integral in the weak formulation of the coupled problem on the entire domain containing both the Stokes and Biot regions. The phase field function continuously transitions from one to zero over a diffuse region of width $$\mathcal{O}(\varepsilon)$$ around the interface; this allows the weak forms to be integrated uniformly across the domain, and obviates tracking the subdomains or the interface between them. We prove convergence in weighted norms of a finite element discretization of the diffuse interface model to the continuous diffuse model; here the weight is a power of the distance to the diffuse interface. We, in turn, prove convergence of the continuous diffuse model to the standard, sharp interface, model. Numerical examples verify the proven error estimates, and illustrate application of the method to fluid flow through a complex network, describing blood circulation in the circle of Willis. 

We develop a computational algorithm based on a diffuse interface approach to study the design of bioartificial organ scaffold architectures. These scaffolds, composed of poroelastic hydrogels housing transplanted cells, are linked to the patient’s blood circulation via an anastomosis graft. Before entering the scaffold, the blood flow passes through a filter, and the resulting filtered blood plasma transports oxygen and nutrients to sustain the viability of transplanted cells over the long term. A key issue in maintaining cell viability is the design of ultrafiltrate channels within the hydrogel scaffold to facilitate advection-enhanced oxygen supply ensuring oxygen levels remain above a critical threshold to prevent hypoxia. In this manuscript, we develop a computational algorithm to analyze the plasma flow and oxygen concentration within hydrogels featuring various channel geometries. Our objective is to identify the optimal hydrogel channel architecture that sustains oxygen concentration throughout the scaffold above the critical hypoxic threshold. The computational algorithm we introduce here employs a diffuse interface approach to solve a multi-physics problem. The corresponding model couples the time-dependent Stokes equations, governing blood plasma flow through the channel network, with the time-dependent Biot equations, characterizing Darcy velocity, pressure, and displacement within the poroelastic hydrogel containing the transplanted cells. Subsequently, the calculated plasma velocity is utilized to determine oxygen concentration within the scaffold using a diffuse interface advection-reaction-diffusion model. Our investigation yields a scaffold architecture featuring a hexagonal network geometry that meets the desired oxygen concentration criteria. Unlike classical sharp interface approaches, the diffuse interface approach we employ is particularly adept at addressing problems with intricate interface geometries, such as those encountered in bioartificial organ scaffold design. This study is significant because recent developments in hydrogel fabrication make it now possible to control hydrogel rheology and utilize computational results to generate optimized scaffold architectures. 

We consider the interaction between a free flowing fluid and a porous medium flow, where the free flowing fluid is described using the time dependent Stokes equations, and the porous medium flow is described using Darcy’s law in the primal formulation. To solve this problem numerically, we use a diffuse interface approach, where the weak form of the coupled problem is written on an extended domain which contains both Stokes and Darcy regions. This is achieved using a phase-field function which equals one in the Stokes region and zero in the Darcy region, and smoothly transitions between these two values on a diffuse region of width (ϵ) around the Stokes-Darcy interface. We prove convergence of the diffuse interface formulation to the standard, sharp interface formulation, and derive rates of convergence. This is performed by deriving a priori error estimates for discretizations of the diffuse interface method, and by analyzing the modeling error of the diffuse interface approach at the continuous level. The convergence rates are also shown computationally in a numerical example. 

Many real-life applications require mathematical models at multiple scales, defined in domains with complex structures, some of which having time dependent boundaries. Mathematical models of this type are encountered in seemingly disparate areas e.g., flow and deformation in the subsurface or beneath the ocean floor, and in processes of clinical relevance. While the areas are different, the structure of the models and the challenges are shared: the analysis and simulation must account for the evolution of the domain due to the many coupled processes in the multi-scale context. The key theme and focus of the workshop were novel ideas in the mathematical modeling, analysis, and numerical simulation, which are cross-cutting between the two application areas mentioned above. The talks have covered the mathematical treatment of such problems, as well as the development of efficent numerical discretization schemes and of solvers for large-scale problems.