Efficient Fracture Propagation Solver Based on the Displacement Discontinuity Method with Application to Fiber Optic...

Area of Science:

• Geosciences
• Petroleum Engineering
• Energy Resources

Background:

• Accurate simulation of fracture propagation is vital for estimating production in unconventional reservoirs and enhanced geothermal systems.
• Current computational methods, like the displacement-discontinuity method, are often inefficient for calculating fracture physical parameters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a computationally efficient fracture propagation method.
• To improve the accuracy and speed of fracture simulation for reservoir management.
• To integrate modeling with real-time sensing data for enhanced monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Incorporated the fracture internal pressure equation into the fracture width equation for optimization.
• Derived analytical expressions for the Jacobian matrix, replacing numerical differentiation.
• Utilized domain symmetry to reduce computational load by calculating only half the domain.
• Integrated the method with fiber optic sensing data for real-time calibration.

Main Results:

• Achieved a significant increase in computational speed compared to previous methods.
• Maintained accuracy in fracture propagation simulation.
• Enhanced spatial resolution and reliability of field fracture monitoring through data fusion.
• Demonstrated practical applicability and validation through fiber optic sensing integration.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method offers a substantial improvement in computational efficiency for fracture propagation simulation.
• The combined modeling and sensing framework provides a powerful tool for smart reservoir management.
• This approach contributes to more efficient and sustainable energy resource development.