ALBERT

Description: Well inflow modelling in different numerical simulation approaches are compared for a multi-lateral well. Specifically radial wells will be investigated, which can be created using Radial Jet Drilling (RJD). In this technique, powerful hydraulic jets are used to create small diameter laterals (25–50 mm) of limited length (up to 100 m) from a well. The laterals, also called radials, leave the backbone at a 90∘ angle. In this study we compare three numerical simulators and a semi-analytical tool for calculating inflow of a radial well. The numerical simulators are FE approaches (CSMP and GOLEM) and an FV approach with explicit well model (Eclipse®). A series of increasingly complex well configurations is simulated, including one with inflow from a fault. Although all simulators generally are reasonably close in terms of the total well flow (deviations

Description: The permeability of single fractures is commonly approximated by the cubic law assumption, which is however only valid under the condition of a single phase laminar flow between parallel plates. Departure from cubic law are related to many features like aperture fluctuations due to fracture surface roughness, relative shear displacement, the amount of flow exchange between the matrix and the fracture itself, etc. In order to quantify constitutive relationships among the aforementioned aspects, we have conducted a flow-through experiment with a porous rock sample (Flechtinger sandstone) containing a single macroscopic fracture. Based on this experiment, we obtained range of variations of intrinsic rock parameters, permeability and stress-strain relationships of the combined matrix-fracture system under hydrostatic loading. From the measured deformation of the matrix-fracture system, we derived the evolution in the mechanical aperture of the fracture. In order to quantify the processes behind the laboratory observations, we carried out coupled hydro-mechanical simulations of the matrix-fracture system. Navier–Stokes flow was solved in the 3-dimensional open rough fracture domain, and back-coupled to the Darcy flow and the poroelastic behaviour of the rock matrix. The results demonstrate that the elastic behaviour and the related permeability alteration of the fracture domain could be captured by the numerical simulation. Furthermore, the stress-strain values obtained in the vicinity of the fracture asperities suggest that inelastic deformation develops at low mechanical load. An attempt was made to quantify the inelastic deformation by using the failure envelope obtained by laboratory experiments (whether tensile, shear, compaction, or a combination of those). However, change in permeability observed in the experiments are significantly larger than that in the simulation showing the importance of plastic deformation during opening and closure of the fracture and its impact on the cubic law approximation.