# STONet: A neural operator for modeling solute transport in micro-cracked reservoirs

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.05576 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.05576/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 18 of its 58 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 7 Dec 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 18 of 18)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03385/) (2015)
- [Adam: A Method for Stochastic Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1412.6980/) (2014)
- [DeepONet: Learning nonlinear operators for identifying differential equations based on the universal approximation theorem of operators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.03193/) (2019)
- [Neural Operator: Graph Kernel Network for Partial Differential Equations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.03485/) (2020)
- [Scientific Machine Learning through Physics-Informed Neural Networks: Where we are and What's next](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.05624/) (2022)
- [Learning the solution operator of parametric partial differential equations with physics-informed DeepOnets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.10974/) (2021)
- [Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) for fluid mechanics: A review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.09506/) (2021)
- [U-FNO -- An enhanced Fourier neural operator-based deep-learning model for multiphase flow](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.03697/) (2021)
- [hp-VPINNs: Variational Physics-Informed Neural Networks With Domain Decomposition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.05385/) (2020)
- [Neural Operators for Accelerating Scientific Simulations and Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.15325/) (2023)
- [Physics-Informed Deep Neural Operator Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.05748/) (2022)
- [A physics-informed variational DeepONet for predicting the crack path in brittle materials](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.06905/) (2021)
- [Physics-Informed Neural Network for Modelling the Thermochemical Curing Process of Composite-Tool Systems During Manufacture](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.13511/) (2020)
- [Real-time high-resolution CO2 geological storage prediction using nested Fourier neural operators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.17051/) (2022)
- [Physics-informed neural network simulation of multiphase poroelasticity using stress-split sequential training](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.03049/) (2021)
- [Surrogate Model for Geological CO2 Storage and Its Use in Hierarchical MCMC History Matching](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.06341/) (2023)
- [Physics-informed neural network solution of thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes in porous media](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.01514/) (2022)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Learning Physics from an Imperfect Ancestor](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.24947/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

In this work, we introduce a novel neural operator, the Solute Transport Operator Network (STONet), to efficiently model contaminant transport in micro-cracked porous media. STONet's model architecture is specifically designed for this problem and uniquely integrates an enriched DeepONet structure with a transformer-based multi-head attention mechanism, enhancing performance without incurring additional computational overhead compared to existing neural operators. The model combines different networks to encode heterogeneous properties effectively and predict the rate of change of the concentration field to accurately model the transport process. The training data is obtained using finite element (FEM) simulations by random sampling of micro-fracture distributions and applied pressure boundary conditions, which capture diverse scenarios of fracture densities, orientations, apertures, lengths, and balance of pressure-driven to density-driven flow. Our numerical experiments demonstrate that, once trained, STONet achieves accurate predictions, with relative errors typically below 1% compared with FEM simulations while reducing runtime by approximately two orders of magnitude. This type of computational efficiency facilitates building digital twins for rapid assessment of subsurface contamination risks and optimization of environmental remediation strategies. The data and code for the paper will be published at https://github.com/ehsanhaghighat/STONet.