A fully coupled method to model fracture permeability change in naturally fractured reservoirs
Tao, Q.; Ghassemi, A.; Ehlig-Economides, C.A.
International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences (1997) 48.2
2011
ISSN/ISBN: 1365-1609
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrmms.2010.11.012
Accession: 036986507
We present a new approach to model the fracture permeability change in naturally fractured reservoirs by combining a finite difference method (FDM) for fluid diffusivity equation in a fracture network, a fully coupled displacement discontinuity method (DDM) for the global relation of fracture deformation and the Barton-Bandis joint deformation model for the local relation of fracture deformation. The method is applied to naturally fractured reservoirs under isotropic in-situ stress conditions and anisotropic in-situ stress conditions, respectively. The application of the new approach shows that the fracture permeability decreases with the pressure depletion under isotropic in-situ stress condition. Under highly anisotropic stress, it is possible that shear dilation can increase fracture permeability even as pore pressure decreases with production.