Phase–Field Fracture Model in Porous Media Summer School 

When: July 13-17, 2026

Where: Department Geoenergy
Parkstraße 27, 8700 Leoben, Austria

Course Format:

The summer school takes place in person at the Technical University of Leoben, Austria. Hands-on exercises will be conducted in class using an open-source implementation of our phase–field hydraulic fracture model in OpenGeoSys. Participants will have access to the downloadable source code and all the input files.

We start with the fundamentals of fracture mechanics before moving on to the phase-field approximation. Then we cover advanced topics such as energy decomposition and multi-physics coupling. Theoretical discussions will alternate with the actual C++ implementation within OpenGeoSys and hands-on exercises, which include:

•  OGS modeling setup
•  Phase-rield energy decomposition
•  Hydraulic fracturing
•  THM coupling
•  Elasto-plastic modeling with phase-field

Day 1

Monday, July 13, 2026 (optional)

• 13:00–17:00 OpenGeoSys installation
• 17:00–19:00 refreshments and snacks

Day 2

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

• 09:00–10:30 Introduction to fracture mechanics
• 10:30–11:00 coffee break
• 11:00–12:30 Phase-field fracture
• 12:30–13:30 lunch break
• 13:30–15:00 Phase-field energy decomposition
• 15:00–15:30 coffee break
• 15:30–17:00 Phase-field energy decomposition
•       18:30      Socializing dinner at Schwarzer Hund

Day 3

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

• 09:00–10:30 Hydraulic fracture mechanics
• 10:30–11:00 coffee break
• 11:00–12:30 Hydraulic fracture model
• 12:30–13:30 lunch break
• 13:30–15:00 Hydraulic fracture numerical stability
• 15:00–15:30 coffee break
• 15:30–17:00 Weak interface modeling

Day 4

Thursday, July 16, 2026

• 09:00–10:30 Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical coupling
• 10:30–11:00 coffee break
• 11:00–12:30 Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical fracture
• 12:30–13:30 lunch break
• 13:30–15:00 Water–CO2 flow
• 15:00–17:00 Buffer

Day 5

Friday, July 17, 2026

• 09:00–10:30 Phase-field plasticity modeling
• 10:30–11:00 coffee break
• 11:00–12:30 Phase-field plasticity modeling
• 12:30–13:30 lunch and departure

Registration

➔ Register now

Registration Deadline: June 30, 2026

Limited number of participants. You'll receive an answer within 2 business days with payment instructions to secure your spot.

Questions? Ask our office manager, Ms. Marlies Helbl: marlies.helblunileoben.acat