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PFLOTRAN

PFLOTRAN is an open-source, massively parallel, multiphysics subsurface simulator designed to run on a wide variety of computing platforms ranging from laptop computers to supercomputers. It is capable of simulating multiphase flow, heat transfer, multiphase and multicomponent transport, biogeochemical reactions, and geomechanics and geophysics in the subsurface environment. PFLOTRAN is coupled with version 3 of the Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) Land Model (ELM) to simulate flow and reactive transport in shallow subsurface soils. Providing a unifying framework for defining soil carbon reaction networks and coupling this information to existing geochemical reaction capabilities, PFLOTRAN’s Soil Carbon Sandbox supports EMSL’s Molecular Observation Network (MONet) efforts to standardize molecular and microscale soil data. Information from these soil carbon reaction networks can then be leveraged by the ELM to facilitate the use of MONet-generated data within Earth system models.

Research application

  • Supporting the Biogeochemical Transformations Integrated Research Platform, PFLOTRAN enables the simulation of MONet soil organic carbon and nutrient cycles and the impact of contaminants in the environment.
  • Supporting the Systems Modeling Integrated Research Platform, PFLOTRAN is a multiscale modeling framework for simulating the following subsurface processes:
    • multiphase flow
    • heat transfer
    • multiphase/multicomponent transport
    • biogeochemical reactions
      • aqueous speciation
      • microbially mediated reactions such as aerobic respiration, biodegradation, and nitrification/denitrification
      • mineral precipitation–dissolution
      • radioactive decay and ingrowth
      • mass transfer between soil carbon pools
      • rate of sorption processes such as isotherm-based, ion exchange, and equilibrium and multirate kinetic surface complexation
    • geomechanics and geophysics
      • electrical resistivity tomography.

Available resources

  • PFLOTRAN
  • Tahoma

Tips for success

The following resources are provided to assist in the use of PFLOTRAN:

Contacts