TY - JOUR
T1 - Hydrodynamic modeling of mud loss controlled by the coupling of discrete fracture and matrix
AU - Xia, Yang
AU - Jin, Yan
AU - Chen, Mian
AU - Chen, Kang Ping
AU - Lin, Bo Tao
AU - Hou, Bing
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors are grateful to the supports provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China : the Distinguished Young Scholars Program (No. 51325402 ); Grant no. 51174217 ; and the State Key Program (No. 51234006 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2015/5
Y1 - 2015/5
N2 - In drilling engineering, the knowledge and control of mud loss are significant. Previous models of mud-loss exhibit two deficiencies: (1) fracture networks were not considered and (2) the fluid flow between the fracture and the matrix was not considered. In these regards, this study adopted a Monte Carlo stochastic simulation method to construct a geological model of discrete fracture networks of naturally fractured reservoirs and then found leakage tunnels. The coupling of discrete fractures and matrix was considered to establish the mathematical model. Consideration of the mud compressibility and the yield-power-law of fluid rheology have produced a more general model compared with previous ones. The finite element method and finite difference method were selected to deduce the numerical format of the matrix and fracture. The laws of mud loss in naturally discrete fractured reservoirs can be mastered through numerical calculation based on MATLAB. A sensitivity analysis is conclusively performed to identify the most influential factors on mud loss. The current model, which is more realistic compared with previous models, was validated by application to practical projects.
AB - In drilling engineering, the knowledge and control of mud loss are significant. Previous models of mud-loss exhibit two deficiencies: (1) fracture networks were not considered and (2) the fluid flow between the fracture and the matrix was not considered. In these regards, this study adopted a Monte Carlo stochastic simulation method to construct a geological model of discrete fracture networks of naturally fractured reservoirs and then found leakage tunnels. The coupling of discrete fractures and matrix was considered to establish the mathematical model. Consideration of the mud compressibility and the yield-power-law of fluid rheology have produced a more general model compared with previous ones. The finite element method and finite difference method were selected to deduce the numerical format of the matrix and fracture. The laws of mud loss in naturally discrete fractured reservoirs can be mastered through numerical calculation based on MATLAB. A sensitivity analysis is conclusively performed to identify the most influential factors on mud loss. The current model, which is more realistic compared with previous models, was validated by application to practical projects.
KW - Monte Carlo
KW - discrete fracture networks
KW - mud loss
KW - numerical simulation
KW - sensitivity analysis
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U2 - 10.1016/j.petrol.2014.07.026
DO - 10.1016/j.petrol.2014.07.026
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85082359405
SN - 0920-4105
VL - 129
SP - 254
EP - 267
JO - Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering
JF - Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering
ER -