A FEM-DFN model for the interaction and propagation of multi-cluster fractures during variable fluid-viscosity injection in layered shale oil reservoir

To investigate the height growth of multi-cluster fractures during variable fluid-viscosity fracturing in a layered shale oil reservoir,a two-dimensional finite element method(FEM)-discrete fracture network(DFN)model coupled with flow,stress and damage is proposed.A traction-separation law is used to describe the mixed-mode response of the damaged adhesive fractures,and the cubic law is used to describe the fluid flow within the fractures.The rock deformation is controlled by the in-situ stress,fracture cohesion and fluid pressure on the hydraulic fracture surface.The coupled finite element equations are solved by the explicit time difference method.The effects of the fracturing treatment parameters including fluid viscosity,pumping rate and cluster spacing on the geometries of multifractures are investigated.The results show that variable fluid-viscosity injection can improve the complexity of the fracture network and height of the main fractures simultaneously.The pumping rate of15 m^(3)/min,variable fluid-viscosity of 3-9-21-36-45 mPa s with a cluster spacing of 7.5 m is the ideal treatment strategy.The field application shows that the peak daily production of the application well with the optimized injection procedu re of variable fluid-viscosity fracturing is 171 tons(about 2.85 times that of the adjacent well),which is the highest daily production record of a single shale oil well in China,marking a strategic breakthrough of commercial shale oil production in the Jiyang Depression,Shengli Oilfield.The variable fluid-viscosity fracturing technique is proved to be very effective for improving shale oil production.

Response of ocean climate to different heat-flux perturbations over the North Atlantic in FAFMIP

The diversity of surface-flux perturbations,especially for heat-flux perturbations,notably leads to uncertainties surrounding the responses of ocean climate under global warming scenarios projected by climate/Earth system models.However,when imposing heat-flux perturbations on the models,strong feedback persists between the atmosphere and the ocean,resulting in nearly doubled heat-flux perturbation over the North Atlantic(NA).Herein,quantitative evaluation of the influences of magnitude change of heat-flux perturbations over the NA on the changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation(AMOC),ocean heat uptake(OHU)and dynamic sea level(DSL)has been conducted by analysis of eight coupled model responses to the heat-flux perturbation experiments in the Flux-Anomaly-Forced Model Inter-comparison Project.It has been demonstrated that the magnitude of the AMOC change is extremely sensitive to the magnitude change of imposed NA heat-flux perturbation,and the weakening amplitude of the AMOC is nearly halved as the imposed heat-flux perturbation F is halved over the NA.The most remarkable responses of both DSL and OHU to the magnitude changes of NA heat-flux perturbation have been primarily found in the Atlantic and Arctic basins,especially for the NA region.Both the added ocean heat uptake(OHUa)and redistributed ocean heat uptake(OHUr)play key roles in OHU changes among the various NA heat-flux perturbation experiments.The magnitude change of NA-mean OHUa is almost linearly related to the imposed NA heat-flux perturbation,while the magnitude change of NA-mean OHUr,which is primarily caused by AMOC change and redistributed heat flux,is not proportional to the imposed NA heat-flux perturbation.There is a nearly linear relationship between the magnitude of AMOC change and the OHUr in tropical regions,including the regions in the low-latitude South Atlantic,the tropical Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.