New model for well test analysis in a purely fractured medium
In a porous medium the flow conduits are small and a large number of conduits are connected to the well. For this reason the medium appears to behave like a continuum on the scale of the well test, and volumetric averaging and continuum approximations are justified. On the contrary, in a fractured medium, only a small number of fractures may intersect the pumping well. These particular fractures will be stressed by a large gradient under well test conditions. Consequently, the early time behavior will be dominated by these fractures. The volumetrically averaged permeability does not control flow in the vicinity of an active well. The individual fractures close to the well must be characterized in order to understand the well test behavior especially if the hydraulic parameters of these fractures are significantly different from the average values for the entire system. In the present study, a new analytical model is proposed for well test problems in fracture networks where the matrix is impermeable. The model accounts for the difference in the flow regime around the active well from that of the system as a whole. The analytical solutions are presented in a series of type curves for ranges of dimensionless parameters. The flow properties of the fracture system can be determined by curve matching.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 5963265
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-18441; CONF-850107-9; ON: DE85008429
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 10. annual workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering, Stanford, CA, USA, 22 Jan 1985
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
GEOTHERMAL WELLS
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
PERMEABILITY
POROUS MATERIALS
TESTING
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
MATERIALS
WELLS
Geothermal Legacy
150200* - Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems
150904 - Geothermal Engineering- Geothermal Reservoir & Well Performance