Fluid Flow Through Single Fractures With Directional Shear Dislocations

This paper numerically investigates the fluid flow behavior through single fractures with directional shear dislocations. Synthetic fractures are generated with directional shear dislocations, and the lattice Boltzmann method is used to simulate the fracture flow. With an ignorance of tortuosity effect, a notable overestimation of hydraulic conductivity is observed when the simplified local cubic law is used. During the closure process, the decreasing rate of conductivity is found to be highly related to the roughness of fractures. The conductivity of smoother fractures decreases faster than that of rougher fractures. By conducting simulations on fractures with a constant shear displacement, the effective conductivity is found to vary with the shear directions. The results show that the conductivity of rougher fractures is less sensitive to the shear directions than that of smoother fractures. As fracture surfaces come into contact, a sharp decrease in effective conductivity is observed and the decreasing trend flattens as the contact ratio continues to increase. A new model is proposed based on the bottleneck model to predict the conductivity of sheared fractures. By integrating the tortuosity and channeling effects into the original model, the proposed new model shows a better performance in predicting the conductivity, especially for fractures with rougher surfaces.     

Hydraulic Fracture Propagation with 3-D Leak-off

Hydraulic fracture models typically couple a fracture elasticity model with a geological reservoir model to forecast the rate of fluid leak-off from the propagating fracture. The most commonly used leak-off model is that originally specified by Carter, which involves the assumption that the fracture is embedded within an infinite homogenous porous medium where flow only occurs perpendicular to the fracture plane. The objectives of this paper are: (1) to show that assuming one-dimensional leak-off can lead to erroneous conclusions, (2) to present a robust numerical methodology for simulating three-dimensional leak-off from propagating hydraulic fractures, and (3) to present and compare a new analytical method based on assuming three-dimensional flow of an incompressible fluid through an incompressible porous formation from a circular planar fracture. Provided the fluid and formation compressibility can be ignored within the reservoir flow model, the three-dimensional leak-off from a circular planar fracture can be written in closed-form as a function, which depends linearly on fracture pressure and radial extent. This simple expression for leak-off can be easily coupled to a range of circular fracture elasticity models. As a comparison example, the Carter model, our new function and a three-dimensional numerical model of the full problem are coupled to the PK-radial fracture model. Comparison with the numerical model shows that our new function overestimates fracture growth during intermediate times but accurately predicts both the early and late-time asymptotic behavior. In contrast, the Carter model fails to replicate both the early and late-time asymptotic behavior. Our new function additionally improves on the Carter model by not requiring the evaluation of convolution integrals and allowing easy evaluation of both the spatial leakage flux distribution across the fracture face and the three-dimensional pressure distribution within the porous formation.     

水力压裂中裂纹扩展的数值模拟

水力压裂是在高压粘滞流体或清水作用下地层内裂缝起裂与扩展的过程。由于包含岩石断裂和流-固耦合等复杂问题,对该过程的数值模拟具有相当大的挑战性。本文建立基于有限元与离散元混合方法的裂纹模型,模拟岩石裂纹扩展,实现了连续向非连续的转化;建立双重介质流动模型,裂隙流作为孔隙渗流的压力边界,孔隙渗流反作用裂隙的压力求解,处理了流体在基岩与人工裂缝中的协调流动;将裂纹模型与流体流动模式进行结合,建立断裂-应力-渗流耦合形式的力学模型,进一步分析了水力压裂的基本过程,综合多种数值计算方法,编写程序,在验证岩体裂纹模型与双重介质流动模型有效性的基础上,对压裂过程进行复现,将模拟结果与文献结果进行了对比,并讨论了所构建模型的优缺点。     

裂隙岩体渗透系数确定方法研究

裂隙岩体渗透系数以及渗透主方向的确定对研究岩体渗透性大小及各向异性具有重要意义。高放废物地质处置库介质岩体的渗透性能将直接影响其使用安全性。本文运用离散裂隙网络模拟的方法对我国高放废物处置库甘肃北山预选区3#钻孔附近裂隙岩体进行了渗透性质分析。通过对3#钻孔1715～1780m段压水试验数据的反演,标定了离散裂隙网络渗流模型中的裂隙渗透参数(导水系数T)。利用标定的离散裂隙网络模型对场区裂隙岩体进行了渗流模拟,确定了该区域裂隙岩体的渗流表征单元体(REV)的尺寸大小以及渗透主值和主渗透方向。运用离散裂隙网络模型计算得出的渗透主值的几何均值与现场压水试验计算结果较接近,证明了计算结果的有效性。     

Numerical investigation of dual-porosity model with transient transfer function based on discrete-fracture model

Based on the characteristics of fractures in naturally fractured reservoir and a discrete-fracture model, a fracture network numerical well test model is developed.Bottom hole pressure response curves and the pressure field are obtained by solving the model equations with the finite-element method. By analyzing bottom hole pressure curves and the fluid flow in the pressure field, seven flow stages can be recognized on the curves. An upscaling method is developed to compare with the dual-porosity model(DPM). The comparisons results show that the DPM overestimates the inter-porosity coefficient λ and the storage factor ω. The analysis results show that fracture conductivity plays a leading role in the fluid flow. Matrix permeability influences the beginning time of flow from the matrix to fractures. Fractures density is another important parameter controlling the flow. The fracture linear flow is hidden under the large fracture density.The pressure propagation is slower in the direction of larger fracture density.     

Steady water flow through unsaturated aggregated porous materials

The three-dimensional steady water flow through unsaturated aggregated porous materials composed of simple cubic open packed and tetrahedral close packed assemblies of uniform porous spheres is investigated with electric analogues and numerical computations. Water around the spheres is considered to be discontinuous with flow restricted through isolated annular water lenses held by surface tension forces around the contact points between spheres. It is found that the conductance of individual spheres depends only on the size of the water lenses and is independent of the radius of the sphere. For a simple cubic packing the conductance for small lens radii is given by Weber’s formula for flow from an electrified disc into an infinite medium. It follows that the bulk hydraulic conductivity of these assemblies of porous spheres is also independent of aggregate size over a range of water contents. This independence is also shown in measurements of hydraulic conductivity of aggregates of diatomaceous earth that show a convergence to a single relationship between conductivity and water content when there is no longer continuity of water in the macropore space. The effect of the three-dimensional flow through aggregates on solute leaching is demonstrated by considering the numerical results of the stream-tube pattern in a sphere.     

Simultaneous initiation and growth of multiple radial hydraulic fractures from a horizontal wellbore

Multi-stage fracturing is the current preferred method of completion of horizontal wells in unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs. Its core component consists in simultaneously initiating and propagating an array of hydraulic fractures. We develop a numerical model for the initiation and growth of an array of parallel radial hydraulic fractures. The solution accounts for fracture growth, coupling between elastic deformation and fluid flow in the fractures, elastic stress interactions between fractures and fluid flow in the wellbore. We also take into account the presence of a local pressure drop (function of the entering flow rate) at the connection between the well and the fracture, i.e., a choke-like effect due to current well completion practices, also referred to as entry friction. The partitioning of the fluid into the different fractures at any given time is part of the solution and is a critical indicator of simultaneous (balanced fluid partitioning) versus preferential growth. We validate our numerical model against reference solutions and a laboratory experiment for the initiation and growth of a single radial hydraulic fracture. We then investigate the impact of stress interaction on preferential growth of a subset of fractures in the array. Our results show that a sufficiently large local entry friction provides a strong feedback in the system and thus can counteract elastic stress interaction between fractures, thereby ensuring simultaneous growth. We propose a dimensionless number capturing the competition between stress interaction and local entry friction. This dimensionless number is a function of rock properties, fracture spacing and injection parameters. We verify that it captures the transition from the case of simultaneous growth (entry friction larger than interaction stress) to the case of preferential growth of some fractures (interaction stress larger than entry friction). We also discuss the implication of these results for multi-stage fracturing engineering practices.     

Hydraulic conductivity of rock fractures

The flow of a single-phase fluid through a rough-walled rock fracture is discussed within the context of fluid mechanics. The derivation of the cubic law is given as the solution to the Navier-Stokes equations for flow between smooth, parallel plates - the only fracture geometry that is amenable to exact treatment. The various geometric and kinematic conditions that are necessary in order for the Navier-Stokes equations to be replaced by the more tractable lubrication or Hele-Shaw equations are studied and quantified. In general, this requires a sufficiently low flow rate, and some restrictions on the spatial rate of change of the aperture profile. Various analytical and numerical results are reviewed pertaining to the problem of relating the effective hydraulic aperture to the statistics of the aperture distribution. These studies all lead to the conclusion that the effective hydraulic aperture is less than the mean aperture, by a factor that depends on the ratio of the mean value of the aperture to its standard deviation. The tortuosity effect caused by regions where the rock walls are in contact with each other is studied using the Hele-Shaw equations, leading to a simple correction factor that depends on the area fraction occupied by the contact regions. Finally, the predicted hydraulic apertures are compared to measured values for eight data sets from the literature for which aperture and conductivity data were available on the same fracture. It is found that reasonably accurate predictions of hydraulic conductivity can be made based solely on the first two moments of the aperture distribution function, and the proportion of contact area.     

Effective Permeability of a Porous Medium with Spherical and Spheroidal Vug and Fracture Inclusions

Vugs and fractures are common features of carbonate formations. The presence of vugs and fractures in porous media can significantly affect pressure and flow behavior of a fluid. A vug is a cavity (usually a void space, occasionally filled with sediments), and its pore volume is much larger than the intergranular pore volume. Fractures occur in almost all geological formations to some extent. The fluid flow in vugs and fractures at the microscopic level does not obey Darcy’s law; rather, it is governed by Stokes flow (sometimes is also called Stokes’ law). In this paper, analytical solutions are derived for the fluid flow in porous media with spherical- and spheroidal-shaped vug and/or fracture inclusions. The coupling of Stokes flow and Darcy’s law is implemented through a no-jump condition on normal velocities, a jump condition on pressures, and generalized Beavers–Joseph–Saffman condition on the interface of the matrix and vug or fracture. The spheroidal geometry is used because of its flexibility to represent many different geometrical shapes. A spheroid reduces to a sphere when the focal length of the spheroid approaches zero. A prolate spheroid degenerates to a long rod to represent the connected vug geometry (a tunnel geometry) when the focal length of the spheroid approaches infinity. An oblate spheroid degenerates to a flat spheroidal disk to represent the fracture geometry. Once the pressure field in a single vug or fracture and in the matrix domains is obtained, the equivalent permeability of the vug with the matrix or the fracture with matrix can be determined. Using the effective medium theory, the effective permeability of the vug–matrix or fracture–matrix ensemble domain can be determined. The effect of the volume fraction and geometrical properties of vugs, such as the aspect ratio and spatial distribution, in the matrix is also investigated. It is shown that the higher volume fraction of the vugs or fractures enhances the effective permeability of the system. For a fixed-volume fraction, highly elongated vugs or fractures significantly increase the effective permeability compared with shorter vugs or fractures. A set of disconnected vugs or fractures yields lower effective permeability compared with a single vug or fracture of the same volume fraction.     

多层平行裂隙型多孔介质通道内流体流动传热特性

基于Brinkman-extended Darcy模型和局部热平衡模型,对多层平行裂隙型多孔介质通道内的流动传热特性进行研究.获得了多层平行裂隙型多孔介质通道内各区域的速度场、温度场、摩擦系数及努塞尔数解析解,并分析了裂隙层数、达西数、空心率、有效热导率之比等对通道内流动传热特性的影响.结果表明:达西数较小时,通道多孔介质层内会出现不随高度变化的达西速度,此达西速度会随裂隙层数的增加而增大,但却不受各裂隙层下多孔介质层位置变化的影响.增加裂隙层数会减弱空心率对压降的影响,会使通道内流体压降升高,但升高程度会逐渐降低.增大热导率之比或减小空心率会使多裂隙通道内出现阶梯式温度分布,而在较小热导率之比或较大空心率时多裂隙情况下的温度分布曲线会趋于一致.此外,当热导率之比较小时,多层裂隙通道内的传热效果在任何空心率下都要优于单裂隙情况,当热导率之比较大时,存在临界空心率使各裂隙层数通道内的传热效果相同,且多裂隙通道内继续增加裂隙层数对传热强度影响不大.     

Features of deformation of poroelastic media with low structural strength

Many natural and technological processes are associated with deformation and fracture of saturated or being saturated poroelastic media. Among such processes one can mention fluid soaking through a dam, fluid inflow to the cracks of hydraulic fracture, polishing using porous materials and special fluids, flow in catalytic pellets. All these processes are accompanied by deformation and fracture of a matrix with fluid flow. The effects at the interface porous body–fluid are essential for the processes.The specific features of deformation of poroelastic media with low structural strength are considered in this paper. The compressibility of the matrix skeleton is larger as compared to the compressibility of the saturating fluid in such media.It is shown that the oozing of the fluid at the surface of the poroelastic medium occurs in the consolidated flow regime under the action of `fluid piston' like loads if the structural strength of the medium is low. This result is obtained for both plane (deformation of a layer or halfinfinite medium) and centrally symmetric (deformation of a sphere) problems.     

Leak-off During Placement of Cr(III)-Partially Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide Gelling Solution in Fractured Porous Media

During waterflooding of a fractured formation, water may channel through the fracture or interconnected network of fractures, leaving a large portion of oil bearing rock unswept. One remedial practice is injection of a gelling solution into the fracture. Such placement of a gelling mixture (referred as gelant) is associated with leak-off from the face of the fracture into the adjoining matrix. As the gelant gets more crosslinked, the gelant encounters more resistance in flowing into the porous matrix. This article addresses the build-up of flow resistance as the Cr(III)-partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide gelant, at various stages of crosslinking flows into the matrix. Flow experiments were conducted at constant injection pressure in unfractured Berea rocks that represent a matrix adjoining a fracture. Before entering the core, gelants underwent post-mixing delays, shorter than their gel time. On continued displacement, flow resistance developed that reduced the flow rate further. More delay, after mixing of gelant hastened, the build-up of resistance to flow and the resistance was contained nearer to the inlet face. Effect of flow over fracture face on the build-up of flow resistance in the matrix was also evaluated by conducting displacement of gelant in two fractured slabs. In one case, a part of the injected fluid came out of the fracture outlet with the rest leaking off into matrix. In the other case, all the fluid that entered into the fracture leaked off into the matrix. Build-up of flow resistances in the matrix for the two cases was compared. A simple conceptual model is presented that could explain the flow of gelant and build-up of resistance in porous rock at constant injection pressure.     

页岩气藏压裂缝网扩展数值模拟

为探究页岩气藏水力压裂复杂裂缝网络的形成机理,开展了缝网扩展的数值模拟研究.考虑应力阴影和天然裂缝作用,建立了井筒和裂缝中流体流动模型,利用位移不连续方法求解应力与位移不连续量,然后构建了压力与裂缝宽度的迭代方程,并采用牛顿迭代法求解.通过比较数值解经典模型解析解,验证了模型和迭代解法的正确性.多簇裂缝同步扩展时裂缝间距越小,压裂液分配到各条裂缝越不均匀,靠近井筒跟部的裂缝的分流量越大,从而裂缝宽度越大;考虑天然裂缝作用时,逼近角越小或者应力各向异性越弱,水力裂缝越容易发生转向扩展,裂缝网络越复杂.      

Comparison of Three FE-FV Numerical Schemes for Single- and Two-Phase Flow Simulation of Fractured Porous Media

We benchmark a family of hybrid finite element–node-centered finite volume discretization methods (FEFV) for single- and two-phase flow/transport through porous media with discrete fracture representations. Special emphasis is placed on a new method we call DFEFVM in which the mesh is split along fracture–matrix interfaces so that discontinuities in concentration or saturation can evolve rather than being suppressed by nodal averaging of these variables. The main objective is to illustrate differences among three discretization schemes suitable for discrete fracture modeling: (a) FEFVM with volumetric finite elements for both fractures and porous rock matrix, (b) FEFVM with lower dimensional finite elements for fractures and volumetric finite elements for the matrix, and (c) DFEFVM with a mesh that is split along material discontinuities. Fracture discontinuities strongly influence single- and multi-phase fluid flow. Continuum methods, when used to model transport across such interfaces, smear out concentration/saturation. We show that the new DFEFVM addresses this problem producing significantly more accurate results. Sealed and open single fractures as well as a realistic fracture geometry are used to conduct tracer and water-flooding numerical experiments. The benchmarking results also reveal the limitations/mesh refinement requirements of FE node-centered FV hybrid methods. We show that the DFEFVM method produces more accurate results even for much coarser meshes.     

考虑多重运移机制耦合页岩气藏压裂水平井数值模拟

页岩作为典型的微纳尺度多孔介质,游离气与吸附气共存,传统的达西定律已无法准确描述气体在页岩微纳尺度的运移规律.基于双重介质模型和离散裂缝模型构建页岩气藏分段压裂水平井模型,其中基岩中考虑气体的黏性流、Knudsen 扩散以及气体在基岩孔隙表面的吸附解吸,吸附采用Langmuir等温吸附方程;裂缝中考虑黏性流和Knudsen扩散,在此基础上建立基岩-裂缝双重介质压裂水平井数学模型并采用有限元方法对模型进行求解.结果表明,基岩固有渗透率越小,表面扩散和Knudsen扩散的影响越大,反之则越小;人工裂缝的性质包括条数、开度、半长以及间距,主要影响压裂水平井生产早期,随着人工裂缝参数值的增加,压裂水平井产能增加,累产气量也越大.其次,页岩气藏压裂诱导缝和天然裂缝的发育程度对页岩气藏的产能有很大的影响,水平井周围只有人工裂缝,周围天然裂缝不开启或不发育时,页岩气藏的水平井的产能较低.      

Simulation of Pressure Transient Behavior for Asymmetrically Finite-Conductivity Fractured Wells in Coal Reservoirs

Based on Fick’s law in matrix and Darcy flow in cleats and hydraulic fractures, a new semi-analytical model considering the effects of boundary conditions was presented to investigate pressure transient behavior for asymmetrically fractured wells in coal reservoirs. The new model is more accurate than previous model proposed by Anbarci and Ertekin, SPE annual technical conference and exhibition, New Orleans, 27–30 Sept 1998 because new model is expressed in the form of integral expressions and is validated well through numerical simulation. (1) In this paper, the effects of parameters including fracture conductivity, coal reservoir porosity and permeability, fracture asymmetry factor, sorption time constant, fracture half-length, and coalbed methane (CBM) viscosity on bottomhole pressure behavior were discussed in detail. (2) Type curves were established to analyze both transient pressure behavior and flow characteristics in CBM reservoir. According to the characteristics of dimensionless pseudo pressure derivative curves, the process of the flow for fractured CBM wells was divided into six sub-stages. (3) This paper showed the comparison of transient steady state and pseudo steady state models. (4) The effects of parameters including transfer coefficient, wellbore storage coefficient, storage coefficient of cleat, fracture conductivity, fracture asymmetry factor, and rate coefficient on the shape of type curves were also discussed in detail, indicating that it is necessary to keep a bigger fracture conductivity and fracture symmetry for enhancing well production and reducing pressure depletion during the hydraulic fracturing design.     

页岩水力压裂中多簇裂缝扩展的全耦合模拟

水平井和水力压裂是页岩气开发中的关键技术。对水力压裂中多簇裂缝同时扩展的物理过程进行了数值模拟。采用扩展有限元法(XFEM)模拟岩石中裂缝沿着任意路径扩展,采用有限体积法(FVM)模拟裂缝中流体的流动,并且考虑井筒中流体流动以及在各簇裂缝间的流量动态分配。通过牛顿迭代对全耦合物理过程进行数值求解,重点研究了初始长度不同的两条裂缝的扩展过程,证明较大的射孔摩阻能促进两条裂缝的同时扩展。并通过算例证明了本方法的精度和有效性。     

Transient Pressure Behavior of Reservoirs with Discrete Conductive Faults and Fractures

Fractures and faults are common features of many well-known reservoirs. They create traps, serve as conduits to oil and gas migration, and can behave as barriers or baffles to fluid flow. Naturally fractured reservoirs consist of fractures in igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary rocks (matrix), and formations. In most sedimentary formations both fractures and matrix contribute to flow and storage, but in igneous and metamorphic rocks only fractures contribute to flow and storage, and the matrix has almost zero permeability and porosity. In this study, we present a mesh-free semianalytical solution for pressure transient behavior in a 2D infinite reservoir containing a network of discrete and/or connected finite- and infinite-conductivity fractures. The proposed solution methodology is based on an analytical-element method and thus can be easily extended to incorporate other reservoir features such as sealing or leaky faults, domains with altered petrophysical properties (for example, fluid permeability or reservoir porosity), and complicated reservoir boundaries. It is shown that the pressure behavior of discretely fractured reservoirs is considerably different from the well-known Warren and Root dual-porosity reservoir model behavior. The pressure behavior of discretely fractured reservoirs shows many different flow regimes depending on fracture distribution, its intensity and conductivity. In some cases, they also exhibit a dual-porosity reservoir model behavior.     

Acid Leakoff Mechanism in Acid Fracturing of Naturally Fractured Carbonate Oil Reservoirs

In acid fracturing, excessive acid leakoff is thought to be the main reason that limits fracture propagation and live acid penetration distance. Since most carbonates are naturally fractured, we developed a new model in this paper to simulate acid leakoff into a naturally fractured carbonate oil reservoir during acid fracturing. Our model incorporates the acid-rock reaction, fracture width variation due to rock dissolution on the fractured surfaces, and fluid flow in naturally fractured carbonate oil reservoirs. Given the information of the reservoir, injected acid, and pressure in the hydraulic facture and the reservoir, the model predicts acid leakoff with time. In this study, we found that acid leakoff mechanism in naturally fractured carbonates is much different from that in reservoirs without natural fractures. Widened natural fractures by acid-rock reaction act as high-conductivity conduits allowing leakoff acid to penetrate deeper into the formation, resulting in serious leakoff. Wide natural fractures have a dominant effect on acid leakoff compared to micro-fractures and matrix.     

An asymptotic solution for fluid production from an elliptical hydraulic fracture at early-times

The early-time transient flow during the start-up of fluid production from a porous medium by a well intersected by a vertical elliptical hydraulic fracture is studied using an asymptotic analysis. The analysis is focused on the situation of practical interest where the fracture conductivity is high so that production from the fracture dominates. The first three terms in a short-time asymptotic expansion for the production rate during constant-pressure production, and for the well-pressure during constant-rate production, are obtained. It is shown that the fracture tip starts to influence the production rate only when the dimensionless time is increased to the square of the reciprocal of the dimensionless fracture conductivity. The asymptotic results also show that geometric factors of an elliptical fracture introduce non-negligible corrections to the so-called bilinear flow in the early times, which were previously erroneously associated with the effect of the fracture tip.