Status of the TOUGH-FLAC simulator and recent applications related to coupled fluid flow and crustal deformations

Rutqvist, Jonny

doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2010.08.006

Cited by 307 publications

(191 citation statements)

References 61 publications

(67 reference statements)

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“…Desirable capabilities for such a numerical simulator includ the capture of non-isothermal multiphase flow and transport for supercritical CO 2 and brine coupled with geomechanical processes. Examples of the numerical simulators applied to study the geomechanical aspects of GCS, include TOUGH-FLAC Rutqvist 2011), FEMH (Bower and Zyvoloski 1997;Deng et al 2011), OpenGeoSys (Wang and Kolditz 2007;Goerke et al 2011), CODE-BRIGHT (Olivella et al 1994;Vilarrasaa et al 2010), ECLIPSE-VISAGE (Ouellet et al 2011), STARS (CMG 2003Bissell et al 2011), NUFT-SYNEF (Morris et al 2011a, b), DYNAFLOW (Preisig and Prévost 2011), as well as other simulators in which multiphase flow codes such as TOUGH2, ECLIPSE, and GEM have been linked with geomechanical codes (e.g. Rohmer and Seyedi 2010;Ferronato et al 2010;Tran et al 2010).…”

Section: Coupled Flow and Geomechanical Models For Gcsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Geomechanics of CO2 Storage in Deep Sedimentary Formations

2012

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This paper provides a review of the geomechanics and modeling of geomechanics associated with geologic carbon storage (GCS), focusing on storage in deep sedimentary formations, in particular saline aquifers. The paper first introduces the concept of storage in deep sedimentary formations, the geomechanical processes and issues related with such an operation, and the relevant geomechanical modeling tools. This is followed by a more detailed review of geomechanical aspects, including reservoir stressstrain and microseismicity, well integrity, caprock sealing performance, and the potential for fault reactivation and notable (felt) seismic events. Geomechanical observations at current GCS field deploy-

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Section: Coupled Flow and Geomechanical Models For Gcsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Geomechanics of CO2 Storage in Deep Sedimentary Formations

2012

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“…That is, we used the coupled multiphase fluid-flow and geomechanical simulator TOUGH-FLAC (Rutqvist, 2011) to model water-injection and fault responses, and we applied seismological theories to estimate the corresponding seismic magnitude. The fault was modeled as a discrete feature using finite thickness elements having anisotropic elasto-plastic properties.…”

Section: Model Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling of fault activation and seismicity by injection directly into a fault zone associated with hydraulic fracturing of shale-gas reservoirs

Rutqvist

Rinaldi

Cappa

et al. 2015

Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering

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We conducted three-dimensional coupled fluid-flow and geomechanical modeling of fault activation and seismicity associated with hydraulic fracturing stimulation of a shale-gas reservoir. We simulated a case in which a horizontal injection well intersects a steeply dipping fault, with hydraulic fracturing channeled within the fault, during a 3-hour hydraulic fracturing stage. Consistent with field observations, the simulation results show that shale-gas hydraulic fracturing along faults does not likely induce seismic events that could be felt on the ground surface, but rather results in numerous small microseismic events, as well as aseismic deformations along with the fracture propagation. The calculated seismic moment magnitudes ranged from about -2.0 to 0.5, except for one case assuming a very brittle fault with low residual shear strength, for which the magnitude was 2.3, an event that would likely go unnoticed or might be barely felt by humans at its epicenter. The calculated moment magnitudes showed a dependency on injection depth and fault dip. We attribute such dependency to variation in shear stress on the fault plane and associated variation in stress drop upon reactivation. Our simulations showed that at the end of the 3-hour injection, the rupture zone associated with tensile and shear failure extended to a maximum radius of about 200 m from the injection well. The results of this modeling study for steeply dipping faults at 1000 to 2500 m depth is in agreement with earlier studies and field observations showing that it is very unlikely that activation of a fault by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing at great depth (thousands of meters) could cause felt seismicity or create a new flow path (through fault rupture) that could reach shallow groundwater resources.1

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“…In this analysis, we employ the numerical simulator TOUGH-FLAC [11,12] for analyzing coupled thermodynamic, multiphase fluid flow and heat transport analysis, associated with CAES in underground excavations. TOUGH-FLAC has previously been applied to a wide range of problems involving coupled multiphase fluid flow, heat transport, and geomechanical processes, including geologic carbon sequestration [13,14], geothermal energy production from steam dominated geothermal reservoirs [15], and thermally driven coupled processes associated with underground excavations at temperatures above boiling [16].…”

Section: Model Approach and Applicabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the concept of compressed air energy storage (CAES) in lined rock caverns at shallow depth: A modeling study of air tightness and energy balance

et al. 2012

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This paper presents a numerical modeling study of coupled thermodynamic, multiphase fluid flow and heat transport associated with underground compressed air energy storage (CAES) in lined rock caverns. Specifically, we explored the concept of using concrete lined caverns at a relatively shallow depth for which constructing and operational costs may be reduced if air tightness and stability can be assured. Our analysis showed that the key parameter to assure long-term air tightness in such a system was the permeability of both the concrete lining and the surrounding rock. The analysis also indicated that a concrete lining with a permeability of less than 1×10 -18 m 2 would result in an acceptable air leakage rate of less than 1%, with the operational pressure range between 5 and 8 MPa at a depth of 100 m. It was further noted that capillary retention properties and the initial liquid saturation of the lining were very important. Indeed, air leakage could be effectively prevented when the air-entry pressure of the concrete lining is higher than the operational air pressure and when the lining is kept moist at a relatively high liquid saturation. Our subsequent energy-balance analysis demonstrated that the energy loss for a daily compression and decompression cycle is governed by the air-pressure loss, as well as heat loss by conduction to the concrete liner and surrounding rock. For a sufficiently tight system, i.e., for a concrete permeability off less than 1×10 -18 m 2 , heat loss by heat conduction tends to become proportionally more important. However, the energy loss by heat conduction can be minimized by keeping the air-injection temperature of compressed air closer to the ambient temperature of the underground storage cavern. In such a case, almost all the heat loss during compression is gained back during subsequent decompression. Finally, our numerical simulation study showed that CAES in shallow rock caverns is feasible from a leakage and energy efficiency viewpoint. Our numerical approach and energy analysis will next be applied in designing and evaluating the performance of a planned full-scale pilot test of the proposed underground CAES concept.

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Status of the TOUGH-FLAC simulator and recent applications related to coupled fluid flow and crustal deformations

Cited by 307 publications

References 61 publications

The Geomechanics of CO2 Storage in Deep Sedimentary Formations

The Geomechanics of CO2 Storage in Deep Sedimentary Formations

Modeling of fault activation and seismicity by injection directly into a fault zone associated with hydraulic fracturing of shale-gas reservoirs

Exploring the concept of compressed air energy storage (CAES) in lined rock caverns at shallow depth: A modeling study of air tightness and energy balance

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