Hydraulic evolution of fractured porous media during hydraulic stimulation

Hydraulic stimulation is a technique that is being used to increase the productivity and efficiency of natural resources under the ground. Hydraulic fracturing is a hydraulic stimulation method, in which the water is being injected into a borehole and that creates additional fractures within the hard rock formations. This may extend the flow network within the formation and increase the productions such as oil or gas. The formation with enhanced permeability is more efficient for hydrocarbon exploitations. The mechanics of the new propagated fractures due to the hydraulic fracturing have been the important subject for many numerical and experimental studies. This project is to develop a numerical approach to model the fully coupled fluid-rock interactions during fracture growth and investigate fracture sustainability during hydraulic stimulation.

Faculty Supervisor:

Hartmut Hollaender

Student:

Partner:

GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Oil and Gas; Technology; Energy and Utilities

University:

University of Manitoba

Program: