A New Symmetry-Enhanced Simulation Approach Considering Poromechanical Effects and Its Application in the Hydraulic Fracturing of a Carbonate Reservoir
- Resource Type
- article
- Authors
- Chuanrui Wang; Yao Yue; Zhongkai Huang; Yue Tong; Wei Zhang; Shiying Ye
- Source
- Symmetry, Vol 16, Iss 1, p 105 (2024)
- Subject
- poromechanical effect
overpressure
discrete element method
hydraulic fracturing
fractured-vuggy reservoir
Mathematics
QA1-939
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2073-8994
The exploration of fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs usually involves hydraulic fracturing to maximize recovery. At present, effectively communicating natural discontinuities is a technical challenge. In this article, we investigated the origin and propagation of cracks in fractured-vuggy reservoirs using discrete element hydraulic fracturing simulations that included poromechanical effects. A particular focus on the microscopic force-displacement symmetry of adjacent pore pressures is introduced. Our results demonstrate that the poromechanical effect significantly increases the strength of overpressurized reservoir formations. Moreover, the effect of injected fluid viscosity on the hydraulic fracturing effectiveness was studied through two simulation tests. The outcomes highlight the critical influence of fluid viscosity on the propagation of micro-cracks in overpressure fractured-vuggy reservoirs.