A nonlinear solver based on an adaptive neural network, introduction and application to porous media flow

Abstract Sensitivity to derivatives and a need for proper initial guesses are the main disadvantages of classic nonlinear solvers like Newton’s method. To overcome the obstacles, a numerical solver for second-order nonlinear Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) based on an Adaptive Neural Network (AdNN) is introduced. While using Newton’s method needs to form the Jacobian matrix and its inversion, which both of them are time-consuming and dependent on the nature of the problem, the proposed solver tries to find the roots of the algebraic equations by changing the weights of AdNN by the help adaptive laws. The proposed approach has been applied to solve the governing PDEs of the gas flow in shale resources and the immiscible two-phase flow of water and oil in hydrocarbon reservoirs as two highly nonlinear phenomena. The generated profiles of pressures and saturations show a satisfying match with the outputs of Newton’s method. However, using the presented algorithm not only removes the former necessities but also helps the community to solve the relevant PDEs governing the critical elements of the energy market in the future with a higher level of confidence.