Heterogeneous modelling behaviour at an interface in porous media

The fluid flow induced by an incident wave at a discontinuity separating two porous media is governed by the hydraulic permeabilities of both media and that of the interface. In the context of Biot’s theory, we derive the time-harmonic Green’s function for the two half-space problem allowing incident fast and slow dilatational waves to assess the heterogeneous modelling behaviour for diverse hydraulic conditions. It is found that when at least one of the media is permeated with inviscid fluids, heterogeneous modelling simulates open boundary conditions. On the other hand, when the model is saturated with viscous fluids, the modelling reproduces restrained fluid flow whose values correspond to sealed pore interface conditions, in agreement with the theoretical results. Therefore the numerical technique models correctly the wave diffusion and propagation phenomena attendant at the boundary.     

Hydro‐mechanical modeling of cohesive crack propagation in multiphase porous media using the extended finite element method

In this paper, a numerical model is developed for the fully coupled hydro‐mechanical analysis of deformable, progressively fracturing porous media interacting with the flow of two immiscible, compressible wetting and non‐wetting pore fluids, in which the coupling between various processes is taken into account. The governing equations involving the coupled solid skeleton deformation and two‐phase fluid flow in partially saturated porous media including cohesive cracks are derived within the framework of the generalized Biot theory. The fluid flow within the crack is simulated using the Darcy law in which the permeability variation with porosity because of the cracking of the solid skeleton is accounted. The cohesive crack model is integrated into the numerical modeling by means of which the nonlinear fracture processes occurring along the fracture process zone are simulated. The solid phase displacement, the wetting phase pressure and the capillary pressure are taken as the primary variables of the three‐phase formulation. The other variables are incorporated into the model via the experimentally determined functions, which specify the relationship between the hydraulic properties of the fracturing porous medium, that is saturation, permeability and capillary pressure. The spatial discretization is implemented by employing the extended finite element method, and the time domain discretization is performed using the generalized Newmark scheme to derive the final system of fully coupled nonlinear equations of the hydro‐mechanical problem. It is illustrated that by allowing for the interaction between various processes, that is the solid skeleton deformation, the wetting and the non‐wetting pore fluid flow and the cohesive crack propagation, the effect of the presence of the geomechanical discontinuity can be completely captured. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

单层不可压缩饱和多孔介质一维瞬态响应精确解

基于Biot理论,考虑惯性、黏滞和机械耦合作用,假定固体颗粒和流体均不可压缩,得到了表面任意竖向荷载作用下单层饱和多孔介质一维瞬态响应的精确解。导出了以固体骨架位移表示的无量纲控制方程,并将边界条件齐次化。求解对应无黏滞耦合作用的特征值问题,得到一组满足齐次边界条件、关于空间坐标的正交函数基。利用变异系数法和基函数的正交性,得到一系列相互解耦的、关于时间的二阶常微分方程及相应的初始条件,并采用状态空间法求解常微分方程,得到位移分量。对整体平衡方程关于空间坐标积分,根据边界条件可确定总应力,并进而求得孔隙压力。通过算例验证所得解法的正确性     

Modelling of fluid expulsion and deformation behaviour of dewatering sediments

A finite element model is developed for modelling coupled fluid expulsion/deformation behaviour of dewatering sediments subjected to external loadings under isothermal conditions. The non-linear deformation behaviour of the sediment (soil) skeleton is based on the force equilibrium equation in which the constitutive relationship of stress and strain is implemented by the modified Cam-Clay model in soil plasticity. The fluid flow behaviour in the model is described by the generalized porous media flow equation. The model allows temporal and spatial variations of porosity and permeability. The fluid viscosity and density are assumed to be temperature-dependent. The model also allows the development of single and multiple faults, depending upon the material (sediment and fluid) properties, loading and boundary conditions. Procedures are implemented for (1) updating the material properties such as porosity, permeability, fluid density and viscosity and (2) the development of faults which allow the formation of high-permeability conduits for fluid flow. The solution algorithm for displacements of the sediments and the excess pore (fluid) pressure is based on a residual load technique to handle the non-linear (elastic-plastic) deformation behaviour of the sediment skeleton. The model can be applied to one- and two-dimensional problems. Examples of a plane strain saturated sediment layer subjected to stepwise horizontal tractions versus time are given.     

流固耦合问题及研究进展

传统的渗流理论一般假设流体流动的多孔介质骨架是完全刚性的,即在孔隙流体压力变化过程中,固体骨架不产生任何弹性或塑性变形,这时可将渗流作为非耦合问题来研究。这种简化虽然可以得到问题的近似解,但存在许多缺陷,而且也不切合生产实际。比如:在油田开采过程中,孔隙流体压力会逐渐降低,将导致储层内有效应力的变化,使储层产生变形。近年来,流固耦合问题越来越受到人们的重视,这方面的研究涉及许多领域。该文介绍了有关工程涉及到的流固耦合问题,重点针对油、气开采问题,介绍了储层流固耦合渗流的特点及研究方法和理论进展,包括单相、多相流体渗流的流固耦合数学模型及有限元数值模型。      

The influence of pumping parameters in fluid‐driven fractures in weak porous formations

In this work, we investigate the main pumping parameters that influence a fluid‐driven fracture in cohesive poroelastic and poroelastoplastic weak formations. These parameters include the fluid viscosity and the injection rate. The first parameter dominates in the mapping of the propagation regimes from toughness to viscosity, whereas the second parameter controls the storage to leak‐off dominated regime through diffusion. The fracture is driven in weak permeable porous formation by injecting an incompressible viscous fluid at the fracture inlet assuming that the fracture propagates under plane strain conditions. Fluid flow in the fracture is modeled by lubrication theory. Pore fluid movement in the porous formation is based on the Darcy law. The coupling follows the Biot theory, whereas the irreversible rock deformation is modeled with the Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion with associative flow rule. Fracture propagation criterion is based on the cohesive zone approach. Leak‐off is also considered. The investigation is performed numerically with the FEM to obtain the fracture opening, length, and propagation pressure versus time. We demonstrate that pumping parameters influence the fracture geometry and fluid pressures in weak formations through the viscous fluid flow and the diffusion process that create back stresses and large plastic zones as the fracture propagates. It is also shown that the product of the propagation velocity and fluid viscosity, µv that appears in the scaling controls the magnitude of the plastic zones and influences the net pressure and fracture geometry. These findings may explain partially the discrepancies in net pressures between field measurements and conventional model predictions for the case of weak porous formation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Frictionless contact formulation for dynamic analysis of nonlinear saturated porous media based on the mortar method

A finite element algorithm for frictionless contact problems in a two‐phase saturated porous medium, considering finite deformation and inertia effects, has been formulated and implemented in a finite element programme. The mechanical behaviour of the saturated porous medium is predicted using mixture theory, which models the dynamic advection of fluids through a fully saturated porous solid matrix. The resulting mixed formulation predicts all field variables including the solid displacement, pore fluid pressure and Darcy velocity of the pore fluid. The contact constraints arising from the requirement for continuity of the contact traction, as well as the fluid flow across the contact interface, are enforced using a penalty approach that is regularised with an augmented Lagrangian method. The contact formulation is based on a mortar segment‐to‐segment scheme that allows the interpolation functions of the contact elements to be of order N. The main thrust of this paper is therefore how to deal with contact interfaces in problems that involve both dynamics and consolidation and possibly large deformations of porous media. The numerical algorithm is first verified using several illustrative examples. This algorithm is then employed to solve a pipe‐seabed interaction problem, involving large deformations and dynamic effects, and the results of the analysis are also compared with those obtained using a node‐to‐segment contact algorithm. The results of this study indicate that the proposed method is able to solve the highly nonlinear problem of dynamic soil–structure interaction when coupled with pore water pressures and Darcy velocity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical modeling of multiphase fluid flow in deforming porous media: A comparison between two- and three-phase models for seismic analysis of earth and rockfill dams

In this paper, a fully coupled numerical model is presented for the finite element analysis of the deforming porous medium interacting with the flow of two immiscible compressible wetting and non-wetting pore fluids. The governing equations involving coupled fluid flow and deformation processes in unsaturated soils are derived within the framework of the generalized Biot theory. The displacements of the solid phase, the pressure of the wetting phase and the capillary pressure are taken as the primary unknowns of the present formulation. The other variables are incorporated into the model using the experimentally determined functions that define the relationship between the hydraulic properties of the porous medium, i.e. saturation, relative permeability and capillary pressure. It is worth mentioning that the imposition of various boundary conditions is feasible notwithstanding the choice of the primary variables. The modified Pastor–Zienkiewicz generalized constitutive model is introduced into the mathematical formulation to simulate the mechanical behavior of the unsaturated soil. The accuracy of the proposed mathematical model for analyzing coupled fluid flows in porous media is verified by the resolution of several numerical examples for which previous solutions are known. Finally, the performance of the computational algorithm in modeling of large-scale porous media problems including the large elasto-plastic deformations is demonstrated through the fully coupled analysis of the failure of two earth and rockfill dams. Furthermore, the three-phase model is compared to its simplified one which simulates the unsaturated porous medium as a two-phase one with static air phase. The paper illustrates the shortcomings of the commonly used simplified approach in the context of seismic analysis of two earth and rockfill dams. It is shown that accounting the pore air as an independent phase significantly influences the unsaturated soil behavior.     

频域内饱和多孔介质的参数反演分析

基于Biot理论,假定固体颗粒和孔隙内流体均不可压缩,建立了以固体骨架位移表示的的控制方程.考虑单层饱和多孔介质在竖向简谐荷载作用下一维动力响应,通过理论推导获得了骨架位移、应力以及孔隙流体压力等物理量的解析表达式.基于饱和土的简谐动力模型试验数据,与所得到的理论解答相结合,将饱和多孔介质材料参数反演问题归结为非线性多峰函数的最优化问题.全局最优解的求解采用了遗传算法和模拟退火算法,并通过试验和数值算例验证了所得材料参数的正确性.     

Hydro-micromechanical modeling of wave propagation in saturated granular crystals

Biot theory predicts wave velocities in a saturated granular medium using the pore geometry, viscosity, densities, and elastic moduli of the solid skeleton and pore fluid, neglecting the interaction between constituent particles and local flow, which becomes essential as the wavelength decreases. Here, a hydro-micromechanical model, for direct numerical simulations of wave propagation in saturated granular media, is implemented by two-way coupling the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and the discrete element method (DEM), which resolve the pore-scale hydrodynamics and intergranular behavior, respectively. The coupling scheme is benchmarked with the terminal velocity of a single sphere settling in a fluid. In order to mimic a small amplitude pressure wave entering a saturated granular medium, an oscillating pressure boundary on the fluid is implemented and benchmarked with the one-dimensional wave equation. The effects of input waveforms and frequencies on the dispersion relations in 3D saturated poroelastic media are investigated with granular face-centered-cubic crystals. Finally, the pressure and shear wave velocities predicted by the numerical model at various effective confining pressures are found to be in excellent agreement with Biot analytical solutions, including his prediction for slow compressional waves.     

基于改进BISQ模型的地震波场数值模拟

Biot流动和喷射流动是含流体多孔隙介质中流体流动的二种重要力学机制,Dvorkin和Nur提出了同时包含Biot流动和喷射流动力学机制的统一的BISQ(Biot-Squirt)模型。由于BISQ模型的流体压力表达式十分复杂,MamadouS.D和ErwinA又在引入Squirt机制的同时提出了不含特征喷射流动长度的改进BISQ模型。这里基于改进BISQ模型,运用伪谱法进行了波场模拟,证实了快P波、慢P波、SV波和SH波的存在。通过与Biot模型和BISQ模型的比较,改进BISQ模型计算简单,便于描述,正演模拟结果也与其它二个模型保持一致,是一种可行的新BISQ模型。     

A three-phase XFEM model for hydraulic fracturing with cohesive crack propagation

A three-phase hydro-mechanical model for hydraulic fracturing is proposed. Three phases include: porous solid, fracturing fluid and host fluid. Discontinuity is handled using extended finite element method (XFEM) while cohesive crack model is used as fracturing criterion. Flow through fracture is defined as one-dimensional laminar flow, and flow through porous medium (host reservoir) is defined as two-dimensional Darcy flow. Coupling between two fluids in each space, fracture and pore, is captured through capillary pressure–saturation relationship, while the identical fluids in fracture and pore are coupled through a so-called leak-off mass transfer term. Coupling between fluids and deformation is captured through compatibility of volumetric strain of fluids within fracture and pore, and volumetric strain of the matrix. Spatial and temporal discretisation is achieved using the standard Galerkin method and the finite difference technique, respectively. The model is verified against analytical solutions available from literature. The leaking of fracturing fluid into the medium and suction of porous fluid into the fracture around the tip, are investigated. Sensitivity analyses are carried out for cases with slow and fast injection rates. It is shown that the results by single-phase flow may underestimate the leak-off.     

Exact solutions for one‐dimensional transient response of fluid‐saturated porous media

Based on the Biot theory, the exact solutions for one‐dimensional transient response of single layer of fluid‐saturated porous media and semi‐infinite media are developed, in which the fluid and solid particles are assumed to be compressible and the inertial, viscous and mechanical couplings are taken into account. First, the control equations in terms of the solid displacement u and a relative displacement w are expressed in matrix form. For problems of single layer under homogeneous boundary conditions, the eigen‐values and the eigen‐functions are obtained by means of the variable separation method, and the displacement vector u is put forward using the searching method. In the case of nonhomogeneous boundary conditions, the boundary conditions are first homogenized, and the displacement field is constructed basing upon the eigen‐functions. Making use of the orthogonality of eigen‐functions, a series of ordinary differential equations with respect to dimensionless time and their corresponding initial conditions are obtained. Those differential equations are solved by the state‐space method, and the series solutions for three typical nonhomogeneous boundary conditions are developed. For semi‐infinite media, the exact solutions in integral form for two kinds of nonhomogeneous boundary conditions are presented by applying the cosine and sine transforms to the basic equations. Finally, three examples are studied to illustrate the validity of the solutions, and to assess the influence of the dynamic permeability coefficient and the fluid inertia to the transient response of porous media. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

利用时间分裂的错格伪谱法模拟地震波在基于改进BISQ模型的双相介质中的传播

改进的BISQ(Biot-Squirt)模型中各参数具有明确的物理意义和可实现性,在不引入特征喷流长度的情况下可将Biot流动和喷射流动两种力学机制有机地结合起来;而高精度的地震波场数值模拟技术是研究双相介质地震波传播规律的重要手段。本文从本构方程、动力学方程和动力学达西定律出发,推导了基于改进BISQ模型的双相各向同性介质的一阶速度--应力方程组;采用时间分裂错格伪谱法求该方程组的数值解,模拟半空间及层状双相介质中的地震波场。数值模拟结果表明:①与传统方法相比,时间分裂错格伪谱法波场数值模拟的精度更高,压制网格频散效果更好;②在非黏滞相界情况下,慢纵波呈传播性,而在黏滞相界情况下,慢纵波呈扩散性,以静态模式出现在震源位置;③双相介质分界面处,各类波型复杂的反射透射规律可由数值模拟结果清晰展现。     

横观各向同性含液饱和多孔介质黏弹性瞬态反应

在考虑横观各向同性含液饱和多孔介质固体骨架和流体可压缩性以及固体骨架的黏弹性特征下,基于横观各向同性含液饱和多孔介质u-w形式的三维动力控制方程,以固相位移u、液相相对位移w为基本未知量,综合运用Laplace变换、双重Fourier变换等方法,在直角坐标系下通过引入中间变量,将六元2阶动力控制方程组化为两组各含4个未知变量的常微分方程组,给出了直角坐标系下横观各向同性含液饱和多孔介质三维黏弹性动力反应的积分形式一般解;作为理论推导的验证,通过引入初始条件和边界条件,对横观各向同性含液饱和多孔介质半空间黏弹性瞬态反应问题进行了求解。解答的退化验证表明,所推导的理论解是正确的。     

Fluid flow in extensional environments; numerical modelling with an application to Hamersley iron ores

The mechanical feasibility of focusing both surface- and basinal-derived fluids towards sites of iron ore genesis during Proterozoic deformation in the Hamersley Province is tested here by computer simulation. Finite difference modelling of porous media flow during extensional deformation of a mountain range shows that surface fluids are drawn towards areas of failure and focus into the centre of the mountain. The addition of permeable structures such as a normal fault provides focused fluid pathways in which mechanical and geological conditions are particularly conducive to both upward and downward flow. Upward flow from the base of the fault within the model overall is favoured by low permeability basement materials and supra-hydrostatic pore pressures. Downward migration of fluids becomes more prominent as extension progresses and upward fluid flow from the base diminishes. The introduction of sedimentary layering into the models allows lateral fluid flow, such that sites of potential fluid mixing may then occur within permeable iron formation units close to the fault zone. Allowing parts of the stratigraphy to become more permeable as a function of high fluid flux simulates permeability enhancement by silica dissolution as a mechanism for iron ore genesis. The involvement of both basinal and surficial fluids in the genesis of the ore deposits is supported by the mechanical models and in addition provides an explanation for a progression from relatively reduced to oxidised conditions at the Mt Tom Price deposit (and possibly other large deposits) with time.     

Response of saturated and nearly saturated porous media: Different formulations and their applicability

The response of saturated porous medium is of significant interest in many fields ranging from geomechanics to biomechanics. Biot was the first to formulate the basic equations governing the process of coupled flow and deformation in porous media. Depending on the nature of loading vis‐à‐vis the characteristics of the media, different formulations (fully dynamic, partly dynamic, quasi‐static) are possible. In this study, analytical solutions are developed for the response of saturated and nearly saturated porous media under plane strain condition. The solutions for different formulations are developed in terms of non‐dimensional parameters. The response is studied for various conditions and the regions of validity for various formulations are identified in a parametric space. An assessment of the needed formulation for few important problems is also presented. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The numerical modelling of advective transport in the presence of fluid pressure transients

Conventional modelling of transport problems for porous media usually assumes that the Darcy flow velocities are steady. In certain practical situations, the flow velocity can exhibit time‐dependency, either due to the transient character of the flow process or time dependency in the boundary conditions associated with potential flow. In this paper, we consider certain one‐ and three‐dimensional problems of the advective transport of a chemical species in a fluid‐saturated porous region. In particular, the advective flow velocity is governed by the piezo‐conduction equation that takes into account the compressibilities of the pore fluid and the porous skeleton. Time‐ and/or mesh‐refining adaptive schemes used in the computational modelling are developed on the basis of a Fourier analysis, which can lead to accurate and optimal solutions for the advective transport problem with time‐ and space‐dependent advective flow velocity distributions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A linear constitutive model for unsaturated poroelasticity by micromechanical analysis

This paper extends the Biot theory of poroelasticity from the saturated to unsaturated case. The Biot phenomenological model uses parameters that are easily observable, such as the deformation of porous frame, total stress, pore pressure, and fluid specific discharge. Such model is preferred for engineering applications. At this macroscopic level, the extension of Biot theory from saturated to unsaturated is straightforward. The constitutive constants, however, are combined properties of solid, pore space, and fluids. In the unsaturated case, the constants are functions of the degree of saturation. Their measurements and tabulation over a range of saturation is generally not feasible for practical applications. In this work, a Biot-Willis type analysis is performed for the unsaturated case to provide a theory that the bulk material constants can be evaluated using laboratory measurable micromechanical constants under saturated condition, plus a capillary pressure curve (saturation versus suction pressure) typically available for unsaturated porous medium, without the need of measurement at each state of saturation. In particular, it is demonstrated that the surface energy contained in the meniscus interface manifests as a “capillary modulus,” given by the negative inverse slope of the capillary pressure curve. A rigorous analysis based on the thermodynamic variational energy approach is also conducted to lend theoretical support to the phenomenological approach. The presented model can bring a closure to the practical engineering modeling of the deformation of partially saturated porous medium that lacks the information of material constants over the range of saturation.     

The effective stress concept and the evaluation of changes in pore air pressure under jacketed isotropic compression tests for dry sand based on the 2‐phase porous theory

The effective stress concept for solid‐fluid 2‐phase media was revisited in this work. In particular, the effects of the compressibility of both the pore fluid and the soil particles were studied under 3 different conditions, i.e., undrained, drained, and unjacketed conditions based on a Biot‐type theory for 2‐phase porous media. It was confirmed that Terzaghi effective stress holds at the moment when soil grains are assumed to be incompressible and when the compressibility of the pore fluid is small enough compared to that of the soil skeleton. Then, isotropic compression tests for dry sand under undrained conditions were conducted within the triaxial apparatus in which the changes in the pore air pressure could be measured. The ratio of the increment in the cell pressure to the increment in the pore air pressure, m, corresponds to the inverse of the B value by Bishop and was obtained during the step loading of the cell pressure. In addition, the m values were evaluated by comparing them with theoretically obtained values based on the solid‐fluid 2‐phase mixture theory. The experimental m values were close to the theoretical values, as they were in the range of approximately 40 to 185, depending on the cell pressure. Finally, it was found that the soil material with a highly compressible pore fluid, such as air, must be analyzed with the multi‐phase porous mixture theory. However, Terzaghi effective stress is practically applicable when the compressibilities of both the soil particles and the pore fluid are small enough compared to that of the soil skeleton.