Porous Fluid Flow and Thermal Flow Analysis

 

Key features and applications

 

ParaGeo is a tool designed specially with coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical geological applications in mind. However geoscientists may sometimes need to perform simulations in which the effects of geomechanics may not be considered. In ParaGeo you have flexibility in considering flow-only simulations, thermal-only simulations or coupled flow thermal simulations (in addition to simulations coupled to the geomechanical module). This may be applied for example in simulating temperature and pressure changes in a reservoir upon CO2 injection.

 

 

ParaGeo Fluid Flow Module Key Features

 

ParaGeo flow simulator can solve single-phase Darcy flow in saturated porous media and gas flow in a porous medium. Among its key features you will find:

 

•Full flexibility in defining Porosity-Permeability functions for different materials. You can define the curves via input of porosity-permeability pair of values and the code will consider linear interpolation between the input points.

•Porosity-permeability curves may be defined isotropic, transverse isotropic or orthotropic with permeability rotation following the bedding plane direction for deforming systems.

•For coupled simulations, you can model hydraulic fracture by imposing overpressure and/or minimum stress-based criteria for fracture opening and propagation.

•For simulations non-coupled to the geomechanical field, porosity may be defined constant or updated as a function of pore pressure.

•For gas flow simulations, porous media tortuosity may be defined as a function of gas pressure.

•Contact algorithm for the fluid flow module is available. You can simulate flow along and across contact surfaces with different models available to characterize tangential contact conductivity (along contact surface) such as a function of depth, normal stress, contact aperture, etc.

•You can account for the influence of continuum fractures in the system permeability and flow regime.

 

 

ParaGeo Thermal Flow Module Key Features

 

In ParaGeo the thermal flow module has the following features:

 

•Thermal properties are specified separately for the solid phase and the fluid phase so that bulk thermal properties are updated with compaction.

•You can account for temperature conduction and thermal advection due to fluid flow velocity.

•You can account for aqua-thermal expansion.

•Contact algorithm for the thermal module is available. You can account for temperature transfer across contacting surfaces.