Numerical modelling of coupled flow and deformation in fractured rock specimens

Bai, M.; Meng, F.; Elsworth, Derek; Abousleiman, Younane N.; Roegiers, J.-C.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1096-9853(199902)23:2<141::aid-nag962>3.0.co;2-g

Cited by 48 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In the case of potential groundwater contamination by NAPL, as mentioned previously, we are more concerned with the secondary porosity features in the soil because the contaminant will more likely travel in those features compared with the porous matrix [21]. Therefore in the present model, the multiphase flow is concentrated on the secondary porosity features in soil as compared with previous existing models [5][6][7][8][9][10][11], and the governing continuity equations for multiphase flow are reduced to the equations for flow in the secondary porosity features of which the general form is shown in Equation (34). By focusing on the flows through the secondary porosity features, the model is made simpler for groundwater contamination applications in double-porosity featured soil, and the computation time taken is also shortened.…”

Section: Multiphase Flow Continuity Equationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This work was then extended by the same authors to a three-phase flow mathematical model for deforming fractured reservoirs, where a strong coupling was assumed between the fluid flow and the solid deformation in the matrix continuum [9]. The numerical modelling of coupled flow and deformation in fractured rock was also studied by Bai et al [10] but instead of the usual Cartesian coordinates, they used cylindrical coordinates for the evaluation of the flow-deformation effects. The work of Lewis and Ghafouri [9] was extended by Lewis and Pao [11] to account for the displacements of both the porous matrix and the fissures in fractured reservoirs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Numerical modelling of multiphase immiscible flow in double‐porosity featured groundwater systems

Ngien

Rahman

Lewis

et al. 2011

Num Anal Meth Geomechanics

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A numerical model describing the flow of multiphase, immiscible fluids in a deformable, double-porosity featured soil has been developed. The model is focused on the modelling of the secondary porosity features in soil, which is more relevant to groundwater contamination problems. The non-linear saturation and relative permeabilities were expressed as functions of the capillary pressures. The governing partial differential equations in terms of soil displacement and fluid pressures were solved numerically. Galerkin's weightedresidual finite element method was employed to obtain the spatial discretization whereas temporal discretization was achieved using a fully implicit scheme. The model was verified against established, peer-reviewed works, and the assumption that the immiscible fluids (non-aqueous phase liquids) will flow preferentially through the secondary porosity features in soil was validated.

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Section: Multiphase Flow Continuity Equationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical modelling of multiphase immiscible flow in double‐porosity featured groundwater systems

Ngien

Rahman

Lewis

et al. 2011

Num Anal Meth Geomechanics

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“…Bai et al (1999) are among the first who considered the effect of fracture deformation on permeability in flow simulations but they neglected the non-linearity of fracture deformation. Later, Shchipanov and Nazarov (2005), Zhao andChen (2006), Shchipanov andRusakov (2008), Khalili (2008), andTaoet al (2009) incorporated fracture geomechanics into modeling of naturally fractured reservoirs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Dynamic Discrete Fracture Model for Fluid Flow in Fractured Low-Permeability Reservoirs

Lei

Gong

Wang

et al. 2015

Day 3 Wed, September 16, 2015

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Waterflooding has been an effective method for improving oil recovery process of Low-Permeability Reservoirs. Tight Low-Permeability reservoirs are characterized by natural fractures, hydraulic fractures, and induced fractures by water injection. These fractures may have a significant impact on process performance and ultimate recovery. The interaction between pre-existing natural fractures and the propagating fractures are critical factors affecting the complex fracture network. It is a great challenge to model accurately fluid flow due to the multi-scale nature of the problems and the strong coupling that exists between flow and mechanical behaviors.In this paper, a dynamic discrete Fracture modeling approach was developed and implemented which enabled integrated simulation of fracture network propagation, interactions between hydraulic fractures and pre-existing natural fractures, fracture fluid leak off and fluid flow in reservoir. We apply the Discrete Fracture Modeling (DFM) approach to represent large-scale fractures individually and explicitly. The model allows inclusion of the impact of stress regime on fluid flow in a discrete fracture network. This entails highly constrained unstructured gridding and construction of a connection (transmissibility) list of all neighboring cells. A methodology for modeling fracture propagation in length-and height-direction is presented with respect to poro-and thermo-elastic stresses acting on the fracture. The method was solved using the discrete fracture control volume method. Results were obtained in terms of saturation and pressure distribution for various fractured porous media. Comparisons for simulation results and well production performance show an excellent match. The new model allows us to better understand the multi-scale and multi-physics flow behavior caused by complex fracture system. Sensitivity studies by varying the production rate, pressure and fracture parameters could be conducted to provide guidance on optimizing production designs. The simulation results show that reservoir dynamic fractures play an important role in both direction and speed of water displacement fronts through tight low-permeability reservoirs. The oil recovery rate significantly depends on the fractures orientation and the rate of fracture growth.The proposed simulation method provides a useful tool for modeling the effect of fractures on waterflooding performance and can be used to optimize injection pressures and rates, water quality as well as well patterns for maximizing oil recovery.

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“…Bai et al (1999) are among the first who considered the effect of fracture deformation on permeability in flow simulations but they neglected the non-linearity of fracture deformation. Later, Pao and Lewis (2002), Shchipanov and Nazarov (2005), Zhao and Chen (2006), Shchipanov and Rusakov (2008), Khalili (2008), Bagheri and Settari (2008), and Tao et al (2009) incorporated fracture geomechanics into modeling of naturally fractured reservoirs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coupled Geomechanics and Flow Simulation for an Embedded Discrete Fracture Model

Moinfar

Sepehrnoori

Johns

et al. 2013

SPE Reservoir Simulation Symposium

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The effect of geomechanics on fluid flow is more crucial in fractured reservoirs due to presence of fissures, which might be more stress-sensitive than the rock matrix. The flow characteristics of fractures are significantly affected by effective normal stress exerting on them. In spite of extensive experimental and field studies that have demonstrated the dynamic behavior of fractures, fracture properties have been often treated as static parameters in the simulations of naturally fractured reservoirs. Realistic modeling of production in fractured systems requires including the dynamic behavior of fractures into a discrete fracture model.We have incorporated the dynamic behavior of fractures into an embedded discrete fracture model, called EDFM. The coupled model allows inclusion of the impact of stress regime on fluid flow in a 3D discrete fracture network. We use empirical joint models to represent normal deformation of pre-existing natural fractures and couple them with the EDFM approach. Using these models, the aperture and permeability of an arbitrary-oriented fracture become functions of the effective normal stress acting on the fracture plane. In addition, we allow for fracture-conductivity tables to model dynamic behavior of propped hydraulic fractures in stimulated reservoirs.We present several examples in this study to show the applicability and performance of the coupled geomechanics-EDFM approach for the simulation of naturally fractured reservoirs. We examine the effect of pressure-dependent fracture properties on production leading to the conclusion that fracture deformation, caused by effective stress changes, substantially affects hydrocarbon recovery. Our simulations show that the significance of such effects on production strongly depends on parameters controlling the deformation behavior of fractures. Simulations also show that creating sufficiently highconductivity fractures during stimulation treatment of unconventional reservoirs can mitigate the adverse effect of hydraulic fracture closure on production to a good extent. Furthermore, the coupled geomechanics-EDFM approach does not degrade the computational performance of EDFM, which is a promising new approach for modeling discrete fractures in a robust and efficient manner.

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Numerical modelling of coupled flow and deformation in fractured rock specimens

Cited by 48 publications

References 23 publications

Numerical modelling of multiphase immiscible flow in double‐porosity featured groundwater systems

Numerical modelling of multiphase immiscible flow in double‐porosity featured groundwater systems

A Dynamic Discrete Fracture Model for Fluid Flow in Fractured Low-Permeability Reservoirs

Coupled Geomechanics and Flow Simulation for an Embedded Discrete Fracture Model

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