Porous media, and especially phenomena of transport in such materials,
are an impor1ant field of interest for geologists, hydrogeologists,
researchers in soil and fluid mechanics, petroleum and chemical
engineers, physicists and scientists in many other disciplines. The
development of better numerical simulation techniques in combination
with the enormous expansion of computer tools, have enabled numerical
simulation of transport phenomena (mass of phases and components, energy
etc. ) in porous domains of interest. Before any practical application
of the results of such simulations can be used, it is essential that the
simulation models have been proven to be valid. In order to establish
the greatest possible coherence between the models and the physical
reality, frequent interaction between numericians, mathematicians and
the previously quoted researchers, is necessary. Once this coherence is
established, the numerical simulations could be used to predict various
phenomena such as water management, propagation of pollutants etc. These
simulations could be, in many cases, the only financially acceptable
tool to carry out an investigation. Current studies within various
fields of applications include not only physical comprehension aspects
of flow and energy or solute transport in saturated or unsaturated media
but also numerical aspects in deriving strong complex equations. Among
the various fields of applications generally two types of problems can
be observed. Those associated with the pollution of the environment and
those linked to water management. The former are essentially a problem
in industrialized countries, the latter are a major source of concern in
North-Africa.
