[CCoE Notice] Thesis Announcement: Numerical Modeling and Simulation of Mineral Dissolution in Fractured Carbonate Formation during Waterflooding Processes

[Grayson, Audrey A]

Numerical Modeling and Simulation of Mineral Dissolution in Fractured Carbonate Formation during Waterflooding Processes



Tao Yuan, Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering



Defense Date: Tuesday, November 25th 2014 Time: 10:30 am Location Room: Room 104 in the ERP, bldg.9

Committee Members: Dr. Guan Qin, Dr. W. John Lee, and Dr. Thomas K. Holley



An accurate modeling of hydraulic and natural fractures is necessary to predict hydrocarbon production for carbonate reservoirs. In fractured reservoirs, the injected water flows through interlinked fracture networks or high-flow channels to production wells. The fractures may widen and develop into large wormholes and caves due to mineral dissolution, which can alter the fluid flow. The development of fractures leads to early breakthrough, unwanted production, and low bottom-hole pressure increase, which adversely affects the effectiveness of waterflooding and EOR processes. Therefore, it is vital to describe the fracture propagation explicitly with geochemical reactions using numerical models. However, there are no such models due to the complicated coupling of multiple flow mechanisms (Darcy’s flow and Stokes flow), and aqueous and rock surface reactions.
In this research, we present a coupled numerical model which combines Stokes-Brinkman and reactive-transport models to describe fluid flow, solute transport, and chemical reaction in fractured reservoirs. An explicit explanation of fractures growth and the influence of flow velocity and reaction rate on fractures will be demonstrated using numerical experiments.
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