Practical method for modeling fluid and heat flow in fractured porous media

Conference · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 UTC 1982

OSTI ID:5282539

Pruess, K; Narasimhan, T N

A Multiple Interacting Continua method (MINC) is presented which is applicable for numerical simulation of heat and multi-phase fluid flow in multidimensional, fractured porous media. This method is a generalization of the double-porosity concept. The partitioning of the flow domain into computational volume elements is based on the criterion of approximate thermodynamic equilibrium at all times within each element. The thermodynamic conditions in the rock matrix are assumed to be primarily controlled by the distance from the fractures, which leads to the use of nested grid blocks. The MINC concept is implemented through the Integral Finite Difference (IFD) method. No analytical approximations are made for the coupling between the fracture and matrix continua. Instead, the transient flow of fluid and heat between matrix and fractures is treated by a numerical method. The geometric parameters needed in a simulation are preprocessed from a specification of fracture spacings and apertures, and the geometry of the matrix blocks. The MINC method is verified by comparison with the analytical solution of Warren and Root. Illustrative applications are given for several geothermal reservoir engineering problems.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 5282539
• Report Number(s): LBL-13487; CONF-820242-1; ON: DE82013018
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150200* -- Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems
150904 -- Geothermal Engineering-- Geothermal Reservoir & Well Performance
EQUILIBRIUM
FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD
FLUID FLOW
FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
Geothermal Legacy
HEAT FLOW
ITERATIVE METHODS
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
POROUS MATERIALS
SIMULATION
THERMAL EQUILIBRIUM
THERMODYNAMICS
TWO-PHASE FLOW