Numerical modeling of two-phase fluid flow in deformable fractured porous media using the extended finite element method and an equivalent continuum model

Abstract

In the present paper, a numerical model is developed based on a combination of the extended finite element method and an equivalent continuum model to simulate the two-phase fluid flow through fractured porous media containing fractures with multiple length scales. The governing equations involve the linear momentum balance equation and the flow continuity equation for each fluid phase. The extended finite element method allows for an explicit and accurate representation of cracks by enriching the standard finite element approximation of the field variables with appropriate enrichment functions, and captures the mass transfer between the fracture and the matrix. Due to the high computational cost of X-FEM, this technique is only used to model large fractures. The pre-existing short fractures, which are distributed randomly in the porous medium, contribute to the increase of the effective permeability tensor and are modeled with an equivalent continuum model. Finally, the robustness of the proposed computational model is demonstrated through several numerical examples, and the effects of crack orientation, capillary pressure function, solid skeleton deformation, and existence of short cracks on the pattern of fluid flow are investigated. It is shown that the developed model provides a correct prediction of flow pattern for different crack configurations.

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