Three-Dimensional Hydromechanical Simulation of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs Using an Embedded Finite Element Approach
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Naturally fractured porous media are widely encountered in subsurface applications, such as hydrocarbon extraction, geothermal energy production, and CO2 sequestration. Accurately modeling the complex interactions between fluid flow and mechanical deformation in these systems is crucial for reliable predictions. Traditional numerical approaches often rely on an explicit representation of discontinuities using discrete fracture models, which can be time-consuming to obtain an adequate mesh and computationally expensive in realistic scenarios. This work performs three-dimensional hydromechanical simulations of a naturally fractured reservoir cell using an embedded finite element formulation. The proposed approach combines the formulations of Linder and Armero [1] and Mejia et al. [2], enabling an implicit representation of fractures within the finite element framework. The model is validated against a discrete fracture model employing interface elements. Furthermore, a computational performance analysis is conducted by comparing fully coupled and staggered solution schemes. The results highlight the efficiency gains achieved with the embedded approach while maintaining solution accuracy. Integrating this formulation with robust geometric pre-processing tools provides a versatile and efficient framework for analyzing fractured porous media.
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