Self-similar solutions of the problem of formation of a hydraulic fracture in a porous medium

The problem of hydraulic fracture formation in a porous medium is investigated in the approximation of small fracture opening and inertialess incompressible Newtonian fluid fracture flow when the seepage through the fracture walls into the surrounding reservoir is asymptotically small or large. It is shown that the system of equations describing the propagation of the fracture has self-similar solutions of power-law or exponential form only. A family of self-similar solutions is constructed in order to determine the evolution of the fracture width and length, the fluid velocity in the fracture, and the length of fluid penetration into the porous medium when either the fluid flow rate or the pressure as a power-law or exponential function of time is specified at the fracture entrance. In the case of finite fluid penetration into the soil the system of equations has only a power-law self-similar solution, for example, when the fluid flow rate is specified at the fracture entrance as a quadratic function of time. The solutions of the self-similar equations are found numerically for one of the seepage regimes.     

Self-similar solution to a problem of axisymmetric motion of gas through a porous medium in the case of a quadratic law of resistance

The results of solution of the self-similar problem of planar flow of gas through a porous medium in the case of a quadratic law of resistance [1] are generalized to the case of axisymmetric motion. The equation in similarity variables for the velocity of isothermal gas flow is reduced to an equation having cylindrical functions as solution. Analytic dependences of the pressure and the gas velocity on the coordinate and time are obtained for a given flow rate of the gas at the coordinate origin and for zero Initial gas pressure in the porous medium.Translated from Izvestlya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza., No. 4, pp. 168–171, July–August, 1982.     

Analytical solution in the problem of constructing axisymmetric noses with minimum wave drag

An analytical procedure for determining the axisymmetric nose shapes that ensure minimum wave drag is developed. The solution is constructed as an improving variation on the conical shape. The target function is built up in an approximate form on the basis of the assumption that the relationship between the geometric and gasdynamic parameters is local in nature. It is shown that the optimal bodies are truncated power-law bodies with an exponent equal to 2/3. The bodies thus obtained are compared with those constructed in accordance with an exact formulation of the problem.     

Self-similar solutions in the problem of generalized vortex diffusion

The analysis of the group properties and the search for self-similar solutions in problems of mathematical physics and continuum mechanics have always been of interest, both theoretical and applied [1–3]. Self-similar solutions of parabolic problems that depend only on a variable of the type η = x/√t are classical fundamental solutions of the one-dimensional linear and nonlinear heat conduction equations describing numerous physical phenomena with initial discontinuities on the boundary [4]. In this study, the term “generalized vortex diffusion” is introduced in order to unify the different processes in mechanics modeled by these problems. Here, vortex layer diffusion and vortex filament diffusion in a Newtonian fluid [5] can serve as classical hydrodynamic examples. The cases of self-similarity with respect to the variable η are classified for fairly general kinematics of the processes, physical nonlinearities of the medium, and types of boundary conditions at the discontinuity points. The general initial and boundary value problem thus formulated is analyzed in detail for Newtonian and non-Newtonian power-law fluids and a medium similar in behavior to a rigid-ideally plastic body. New self-similar solutions for the shear stress are derived.     

Problem of propagation of a gas fracture in a porous medium

The problem of gas fracture formation in a porous medium is investigated. An inertialess viscous polytropic gas flow along the fracture is considered. The assumption of small fracture width with respect to the height and length makes it possible to adopt the vertical plane cross-section hypothesis on the basis of which the dependence of the gas pressure inside the fracture on its width can be reduced to a linear law. Initially, the soil surrounding the fracture is soaked with oil-bearing fluid. During fracturing the reservoir gas penetrates into the soil mass and displaces the fluid. A closed system of equations, which describes the evolution of the fracture opening, the depth of gas penetration into the reservoir, and the gas velocities inside the fracture, is constructed. The limiting regimes of gas seepage into the surrounding reservoir are considered and a one-parameter family of self-similar solutions of the system is given for each. The asymptotics of the solution in the neighborhood of the fracture nose is investigated and analytic expressions for the fracture length are obtained. The solution of the problem of gas fracture is compared with the hydraulic fracturing problem in an analogous formulation within the framework of the plane cross-section hypothesis.     

Spontaneous symmetry-breaking in the 3-D wake of a long cylinder simulated by the lattice gas method and drag coefficient measurements

We present a direct numerical simulation by the lattice gas method of the three-dimensional non-stationary incompressible flow at a Reynolds number of 74, past a circular cylinder, with a uniform incident flow. We describe the three-dimensional structure and the time-evolution of the wake, which leads to an oblique vortex shedding situation.We also present early results on measurements of drag coefficients for spheres and cylinders at a Reynolds number of 20.     

Effect of vibration on the stability of a plane displacement front in a porous medium

The effect of linearly polarized vibration on the stability of a plane displacement front in a porous medium is studied. The problem of the stability of the motion of a plane displacement front traveling at a constant velocity U under the action of vibration normal to the front is considered. It is shown that under the action of vibration the dynamics of the plane displacement front can be described by the Mathieu equation with a dissipative term. Using the standard averaging method, in the case of high-frequency vibration it is revealed that vibration can only increase the stability of the system. It is found that the vibration stabilizes the plane displacement front with respect to part of the perturbation spectrum.     

Numerical investigation of the decomposition of gas hydrates coexisting with gas in natural reservoirs

The problem of methane hydrate decomposition in a reservoir saturated with a gas and hydrate mixture is investigated numerically. The results of the numerical simulation and an analytic solution obtained in the linear approximation are compared. It is shown that for high-permeability rocks the convective heat transfer in the near-well space of the reservoir predominates over the conductive transfer. This makes the use of intra-well heaters ineffective. It is found that an increase in the reservoir and well pressures and a decrease in the permeability suppress the formation of an extended hydrate dissociation region. Critical diagrams of existence of the frontal decomposition regime are constructed.     

Analytical solution of the nonlinear problem of gas hydrate dissociation in a formation

The problem of methane hydrate dissociation in a formation at high pressure gradients, when the flow in the near-well region is described by a nonlinear equation, is considered. In the quasistationary approximation, an analytical solution of the problem representable in the form of an implicit function is obtained. It is shown that during dissociation at high pressure gradients ice may be formed at fairly high initial temperatures. A critical diagram of hydrate dissociation regimes is plotted.     

Effect of decomposition of a gas hydrate on the gas recovery from a reservoir containing hydrate and gas in the free state

The problem of gas recovery in the process of methane hydrate dissociation in a reservoir saturated with gas-hydrate mixture is considered. The mathematical model of hydrate decomposition into gas and water is generalized to include the negative temperature interval and takes ice formation into account. The solution of the problem is represented in the self-similar approximation. It is shown that there exists a transition hydrate decomposition regime in which water and ice are formed simultaneously. A comparative analysis of the recovery is carried out on the basis of relations derived for the masses of recovered gas in different hydrate dissociation regimes. It is shown that an anomalous increase in the recovered gas volumes is observed in the transition hydrate dissociation regime.__________Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Academii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, 2005, pp. 132–142. Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Tsypkin.     

A limit form of the equations for immiscible displacement in a fractured reservoir

We study a model for simulating the flow of an immiscible displacement (waterflooding) of one incompressible fluid by another in a naturally fractured petroleum reservoir when the matrix blocks are quite small. This model is equivalent to a transformed one for immiscible flow in an unfractured reservoir with a reduced saturation and a saturation-dependent porosity. Existence and uniqueness of classical solutions are established. We present some numerical results and a comparison with a single porosity model.     

The effect of an unsteady drag force on the structure of a non-equilibrium region behind a shock wave in a gas-particle mixture

For numerical analysis of shock wave propagation in gas-particle mixtures, drag coefficients of a sphere in steady flows are generally used. However, it is shown both experimentally and numerically that a shock loaded solid sphere experiences unsteady drag forces. The paper describes a model of unsteady drag force and its effect on the structure of the non-equilibrium region behind a shock front traveling in a dusty gas. The results are compared with those obtained by using a steady drag coefficient and are discussed. It is demonstrated that the large drag force at the early stage of the interaction between shock-wave induced flow and a solid particle affects the flow structure that is obtained with a steady drag force.      

Modelling the Effect of Surface Tension on Immiscible Displacement in a Saturated Porous Medium

Comments are made about the model employed by Chen and Vafai for forced convection in a porous medium channel, with a surface tension effect at the moving interface between two fluids, when one fluid is displaced by the other. A simple situation is analysed, and the circumstances under which surface tension effects are important in this case are clarified.     

The fundamental solutions for the plane problem in piezoelectric media with an elliptic hole or a crack

1.IntroductionItiswell-knownthatthefundame,ltalsolutionsorGreen'sfunctionsplayanimportantroleilllinearelasticity.Forexample,theycanbeusedtoconstructmanyanalyticalsolutionsofpracticalproblems.Itismoreimportantthattheyareusedasthefundamentalsolutionsintheboundaryelementmethod(BEM)tosolvesomecomplicatedproblem.Withthewidely-increasingapplicationofpiezoelectricmaterialsinengineeringproblems,thestudyregardingtheGreen'sfLlnctionsinpiezoelectricsolidshasreceivedmuchinterest.The3DGreen'sfunctionsi…     

Green's function of the displacement boundary value problem for a heat source in an infinite plane with an arbitrary shaped rigid inclusion

Summary Green's functions of the displacement boundary value problem are derived within two-dimensional thermoelasticity for a heat source in an infinite plane with an arbitrary shaped rigid inclusion. The following two cases are considered: either rigid-body displacements and rigid-body rotations of the inclusion are allowed or no rigid-body displacements and no rigid-body rotations of the inclusion are possible. To solve these problems, fundamental solutions are developed for a point heat source, for rigid-body rotations of the inclusion, and for concentrated loads acting on the inclusion. Complex stress functions, temperature function, a rational mapping function and the thermal dislocation method are used for the analysis. In analytical examples, distributions of stresses are developed for an infinite plane with a rectangular rigid inclusion. Received 5 August 1998; accepted for publication 1 December 1998     

Effect of flows between formations and capillary forces on the process of oil displacement in a stratified inhomogeneous bed

The results of a numerical investigation of the process of oil displacement in a stratified inhomogeneous formation on the basis of the two-phase flow model with account for capillary forces are presented. It is shown that in many cases the vertical inhomogeneity of oil reservoirs may not be a cause of nonuniform displacement and the non-recovery of large oil reserves by the time of water breakthrough to the extraction surface. The action of the capillary forces is an additional factor leading to equalization of the water propagation front in the inhomogeneous formation, water breakthrough delay, and intensification of the mass transfer between the layers with different permeabilities. Analysis of the contribution of the interlayer flows to the water flooding of low-permeability formation intervals calls into question the practicability of blocking high-permeability inclusions in the neighborhood of pumping wells.     

Similarity solutions for the flow behind an exponential shock in a non-ideal gas

Similarity solutions for the flow of a non-ideal gas behind a strong exponential shock driven out by a piston (cylindrical or spherical) moving with time according to an exponential law are obtained. Similarity solutions exist only when the surrounding medium is of constant density. Solutions are obtained, in both the cases, when the flow between the shock and the piston is isothermal or adiabatic. It is found that the assumption of zero temperature gradient brings a profound change in the density distribution as compare to that of the adiabatic case. Effects of the non-idealness of the gas on the flow-field between the shock and the piston are investigated. The variations of density-ratio across the shock and the location of the piston with the parameter of non-idealness of the gas are also obtained.     

The spherical problem of the filtration of a liquid and a gas with a change in the permeability of rocks in accordance with an exponential law

The article considers the problem of the filtration of liquids (or gases), pumped through a borehole at a constant rate with elastic filtration conditions. The permeability of the stratum is assumed to be an exponential function of the coordinates. The viscosities of the injected and displaced liquids are assumed to be different. To increase the capacity of strata, i.e., of collectors used for the burial of industrial waste flows and gases, various methods are employed to increase the fracturing and the permeability of the rocks (hydro-pulse techniques, explosions, and other methods). As a result of this, a spherical region is formed in the rocks, in which the permeability varies along the radius. The character of this change is well described by an exponential function. The pumping of waste flows or industrial gases into such a cavity leads to the displacement of the stratum liquid (or gas). The problem of the displacement of one liquid by another liquid not miscible with it under rigid filtration conditions was first discussed in [1–5]. Here a study was made of a region of finite dimensions, bounded by two boundaries, with given pressures or mass flow rates (the linear and axisymmetric flow problems). The permeability of the stratum was assumed to be independent of the coordinates. A special characteristic of these problems is the fact that it is impossible to consider unbounded or semi-bounded filtration conditions in them since, under rigid filtration conditions, the condition of bounded character of the pressure (the head) is not satisfied at infinity. Elastic filtration conditions for two immiscible liquids were first discussed in [6], and later in [7, 8] and other reports. Here an investigation was made of the linear and axisymmetric problems for an unbounded region. In [9, 10] solutions are given to some problems with spherical symmetry for an unbounded region, with rigid filtration conditions and a jumpwise change of the permeability along the radius. In the problems of [6–10] the condition of the bounded character of the pressure is satisfied. In [11] the case of a hyperbolic change in the permeability of the rocks is considered.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 42–51, November–December, 1974.