Coupled flow and deformation in fractured media is often modeled by the classical dual-porosity poroelasticity theory. The latter is based on the Barenblatt hypothesis of pressure equilibrium inside the rock matrix. This is a reasonable assumption if the characteristic time scales for pressure propagation in the matrix are comparable or smaller than the characteristic fracture time scales....
Shear displacement of fractures in porous rock leads to fracture dilation influencing the flow field. This is an important mechanism in e.g. enhanced geothermal systems, where the fracture aperture determines the heat extraction performance of the reservoir. To predict shear dilation in a fractured reservoir, the shear displacement needs to be calculated first, since the dilation directly...
Modelling of multiple fractures in hydraulic fracturing is of importance for creating a complex fracture network and enhancing the productivity of resources in underground reservoirs. In this work, multiple hydraulic fracturing in low permeability media is studied by extended finite element method (XFEM) and the governing equations for fluid flow and elastic rock are introduced. Two robust...
In this work, a three-scale poromechanical model for naturally fractured coalbed methane reservoir is developed. The coal seam reservoir is composed of a coal matrix mainly containing nanopores saturated by adsorbed gases and natural fracture network (called cleats). Beyond the empirical Langmuir law, the adsorption isotherm of the fluid mixture (CH4 and CO2) is rigorously constructed by using...
Fractures in subsurface shale formations serve multiple purposes, for example, in the recovery of resources in hydraulic fracturing or as potential harmful leakage passages through caprocks that may contribute undesired fluids to the atmosphere or functional groundwater aquifers. A proposed method to seal or influence fracture properties is Ureolysis-Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation...
Hydro-mechanical coupling in deforming porous media has been the subject of studies in mechanical, energy, geology and environmental engineering. In our work, following Griffith’s theory [1] and Francfort and Marigo’s [2] variational approach to fracture, we develop a generalised phase-field-based formulation for predicting the fluid-driven fracture propagation in porous media across different...
Hydroshearing, or shear stimulation, is recognized as the main method to exploit geothermal energy in hot low-permeability crystalline rocks at depth. It consists of enhancing permeability via injection-induced shear slip and dilation of preexisting fractures. Hydroshearing usually causes some induced microseismicity, sometimes of sufficient magnitude to be felt on the surface. Thus,...
We attempt to formalise the relationship between the poroelasticity theory and the effective medium theory of micromechanics. Assumptions of these approaches vary, but both can be directly linked by considering the undrained response of a material. To analyse the linkage between poroelasticity and micromechanics, we do not limit ourselves to the original theory of Biot. Instead, we propose a...
A domain decomposition approach for flow simulations in poro-fractured media using non-conforming meshes is presented. Fractures in a porous medium can either act as preferential flow path, either represent barriers for the flow. When a geometrical reduction approach is used, as, e.g. in a Discrete Fracture and Matrix (DFM) model, fractures are represented as planar interfaces embedded in a...
In this work, we present a mixed finite element formulation of the Biot problem based on the rotation and displacement for the elasticity, and Darcy velocity and pressure, for the fluid phase flow. The discretization of the problem is based on exact discrete complexes and also on a suitable choice of a quadrature rule to localize, in a multi-point fashion, and thus algebraically eliminate the...
The control volume finite element (CVFE) method is inherently flexible for modelling flow and transport in complex geological features such as faults and fractures. The finite element method that captures complex flow characteristics is combined with the control volume approach known for its stability and mass conservative properties. The classical CVFE approach exploits two meshes: the...
Given the high uncertainty of fracture characteristics in subsurface porous media, we focus in our work on the prediction of the mean or Ensemble Averaged Flow (EAF) field. Typically fractures can cover distances comparable to the size of the domain of interest. While classical homogenization only is valid for representative elementary volumes (REV) much larger than all embedded structures,...
Objectives/Scope
Understanding the fundamental mechanisms of fracture-matrix fluid exchange is crucial for the modeling of fractured reservoirs. Traditionally, high-resolution simulations for flow in fractures often neglect the effect of matrix contribution on the fracture hydraulic behavior. In this study, we develop a multi-scale approach to capture the matrix-fracture leakage...
In the subsurface, fractures are discontinuities in the medium in the form of narrow zones. Fractures are very numerous and present at all scales, with highly varying sizes and permeabilities. The permeability of the neighboring rock matrix is generally about two orders of magnitude lower than that of the fractures. This is why fractures are preferential channels for flow and, therefore, play...
We performed a set of numerical simulations to characterize the influence of mesh refinement and upscaling on flow and transport properties in fractured porous media. We generated a set of generic three-dimensional discrete fracture networks at various densities, where the radii of the fractures were sampled from a truncated power-law distribution, whose parameters were loosely based on field...
Subsurface fluid flow primarily transpires in porous rocks, however, in low-permeability formations, interconnected rock fractures can govern fluid flow. Synonymous with fracture flow is the immiscible displacement of a wetting phase (e.g., brine) by a non-wetting phase (e.g., CO2), a process called drainage, which is fundamental to many subsurface engineering applications. Robust modelling of...
Fluid flow through fractured rock masses determines groundwater resource utilization, contaminant transport and remediation, resource recovery (oil and gas, geothermal), and energy waste storage (CO2 geological storage). While the matrix determines storativity in most cases, fractures with high transmissivity control fluid flow. Fluid flow through fractures may be accompanied by particle...
Many subsurface processes feature mechanically closed fractures elastically deforming in response to stress changes. In cases involving temperature contrasts, such as geothermal reservoirs, these changes are typically due to thermal stresses as well as pore pressure. In turn, changes in hydraulic fracture apertures impact the flow field and thereby also heat transport, resulting in a strongly...
Depending on the geographical and geological setting, geothermal energy is one of the few renewable energy sources that can supply a constant and reliable source of low-carbon heat and electricity. In the UK, the greatest potential for power generation from geothermal resources is limited to high-heat producing granites in SW England. It has long been known that there is the potential for...
The existence of fractures in porous media has a strong impact on the characteristics of the flow behavior. In geological rocks, fractures occur both naturally as well as intentionally induced as in geothermal applications. Thus, accurate modeling and simulation of flow and transport in fractured media is vital for many industrial applications.
Mixed-dimensional models have been widely...
Modeling subsurface flow and reactant transport on large (km) scales necessarily involves statistical descriptions of the underlying pore space. Pore-scale models are one route to the constitutive models needed to close the macroscopic transport equations, but when the reaction rate is high, classical upscaling methods fail. Here we describe a different upscaling scheme based on concentration...
Matrix diffusion is a critical process to capture in many subsurface applications in low permeability fractured rocks. In most discrete fracture network (DFN) models, a semi-analytical description of matrix diffusion is adopted in conjunction with Lagrangian particle tracking methods. However, the solutions to semi-analytical matrix diffusion are based on simple fracture networks, i.e., single...
Counter-current flow can be encountered under quite general conditions in two D or 3D two-phase flows in fractured medium. It may describe the imbibition of a wetting fluid replacing a non-wetting fluid inside the rock matrix. As the first order term of the driving transport equation drops-out, the resulting transport equation is a singular non-linear diffusion equation.
Although the early...
Brine leakage resulting from induced fractures during CO2 storage in deep geologic formation from pressure buildup during injection or existing faults in the far field risk contamination of the shallow aquifers used for drinking and other economic activities. Our past investigations studied the effects of uncertainties in the hydraulic parameters of the storage zone on the plume development...
CO2 geo-sequestration is a practical approach to achieve net-zero carbon target. Coal has become an optimal geological storage option due to its large adsorptive capability for CO2. However, one of the main challenges for successful CO2 geo-sequestration is the reduced injectivity that are caused by adsorption-induced swelling of coal matrix. In addition, its complex and heterogenous internal...
In this study, we illustrate key features of transport in heterogeneous fractured aquifers, when the fluid-rock diffusive exchange is a significant player, like in the case of heat transport. This advective-diffusive behavior is determined by the combined effects of flow velocity heterogeneity in the fracture system, and diffusive exchange between the fluid in the fractures and the rock...
Massive hydraulic fracturing has made economical production from well-compacted deep geological formations such as shale possible. Despite the commercial success, the physical mechanisms for the significantly enhanced production rate versus the conventional models remains unresolved. The mass flow from the matrix blocks to their adjacent fractures are the sources fed to the fracture network as...
Visual observation of flow and transport processes in fractures require transparent replicas. Quite easily realized are parallel plate models which pose only a quite rough approximation and require certain geometric conditions /TSA 87/. A better representation can be gained by impressions from real fractures, either by forming the free space, a common technique (e.g. /PER 95/) but rather...
Dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) are common organic contaminants for soil and groundwater systems, originated from industrial waste. Once disposed of incautiously, the DNAPLs migrate into the deep subsurface through different geological media. Therefore, the prediction of DNAPL migration requires specialized methods depending on the media. In this study, an integrated model that...
A site selection process is currently underway in Canada to select a site for a deep geologic repository (DGR) for Canada’s used nuclear fuel. Currently, two potential siting areas are undergoing evaluation: one in plutonic crystalline rock in the Canadian Shield, and one in sedimentary rock. The focus of this study is the crystalline site. As part of ongoing site investigation activities,...
Among the processes that involve two-phase flow in porous media, phase change is less explored because of its complex nature due to the strong coupling between heat and mass transfer. Nevertheless, condensation processes are present in many fields, such as applications related to nuclear safety and durability of concrete structures, condensation in porous fabrics and insulations, steam-based...
Particle transport in rough natural fractures has seen diversified potentials and applications in environmental engineering and resource development engineering. Despite intensive and outstanding research on their transport phenomena, the impact of surface attachment and confined space of rough natural fractures on particle transport remains poorly understood.
In this work, we simulated the...
