Improved simulation technology for flow and transport in fracture zones

This project is concerned with numerical simulation of flow and transport in fracture zones. Fractures form the main pathways for fluid flow in naturally and hydraulically fractured petroleum reservoirs, as well as in deep geothermal energy systems. Fractures may also provide leakage pathways for contaminants, and are therefore important when assessing waste disposal and CO₂ storage sites.

Picture from field trip to Kilve, March 2016.

The standard methods for simulating flow in subsurface rocks excel at reproducing flow in homogeneous rocks. Fractured rocks, on the other hand, are often heterogeneous with a complicated geometry for the fracture network. In this project, we seek to develop new mathematical tools for describing flow in such rocks, based on previous work done in our research group. Secondly, we want to investigate which properties of the fracture network are determining the macroscopic flow pattern, and devise upscaling strategies that preserve these quantities.

The research group consists of Inga Berre, Eirik Keilegavlen, Pål Næverlid Sævik (all at the Department of Mathematics, UoB) and Jan Tveranger (Uni CIPR and Department of Earth Science, UoB). The project also links to other ongoing activity at the Department of Mathematics and Department of Earth Science at UoB.