Finite element equations and numerical simulation of elastic wave propagation in two-phase anisotropic media

Based on Biot theory of two-phase anisotropic media and Hamilton theory about dynamic problem,finite element equations of elastic wave propagation in two-phase anisotropic media are derived in this paper.Numerical solution of finite element equations is given.Finally,Properties of elastic wave propagation are observed and analyzed through FEM modeling.

AVO forwarding modeling in two-phase media: multiconstrained matrix mineral modulus inversion

AVO forward modeling is based on two-phase medium theory and is considered an effective method for describing reservoir rocks and fluids. However, the method depends on the input matrix mineral bulk modulus and the rationality of the two-phase medium model. We used the matrix mineral bulk modulus inversion method and multiple constraints to obtain a two-phase medium model with physical meaning. The proposed method guarantees the reliability of the obtained AVO characteristicsin two-phase media. By the comparative analysis of different lithology of the core sample, the advantages and accuracy of the inversion method can be illustrated. Also, the inversion method can be applied in LH area, and the AVO characteristics can be obtained when the porosity, fluid saturation, and other important lithology parameters are changed. In particular, the reflection coefficient amplitude difference between the fast P wave and S wave as a function of porosity at the same incidence angle, and the difference in the incidence angle threshold can be used to decipher porosity.

Reflection and transmission of bottom simulating reflectors in gas hydrate-bearing sediments: Two-phase media models

The bottom simulating reflector （BSR） in gas hydrate-bearing sediments is a physical interface which is composed of solid, gas, and liquid and is influenced by temperature and pressure. Deep sea floor sediment is a porous, unconsolidated, fluid saturated media. Therefore, the reflection and transmission coefficients computed by the Zoeppritz equation based on elastic media do not match reality. In this paper, a two-phase media model is applied to study the reflection and transmission at the bottom simulating reflector in order to find an accurate wave propagation energy distribution and the relationship between reflection and transmission and fluid saturation on the BSR. The numerical experiments show that the type I compressional （fast） and shear waves are not sensitive to frequency variation and the velocities change slowly over the whole frequency range. However, type II compressional （slow） waves are more sensitive to frequency variation and the velocities change over a large range. We find that reflection and transmission coefficients change with the amount of hydrate and free gas. Frequency, pore fluid saturation, and incident angle have different impacts on the reflection and transmission coefficients. We can use these characteristics to estimate gas hydrate saturation or detect lithological variations in the gas hydrate-bearing sediments.

THE NON-AXISYMMETRICAL DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF TRANSVERSELY ISOTROPIC SATURATED POROELASTIC MEDIA

The Blot's wave equations of transversely isotropic saturated poroelastic media excited hy non-axisymmetrical harmonic source were solved by means of Fourier expansion and Hankel transform. Then the components of total stress in porous media are expressed with the solutions of Biot's wave equations. The method of research on non-axisymmetrical dynamic response of saturated porous media is discussed, and a numerical result is presented.

Numerical simulation of two-phase flow in fractured porous media using streamline simulation and IMPES methods and comparing results with a commercial software

Streamline simulation is developed to simulate waterflooding in fractured reservoirs. Conventional reservoir simulation methods for fluid flow simulation in large and complex reservoirs are very costly and time consuming. In streamline method, transport equations are solved on one-dimensional streamlines to reduce the computation time with less memory for simulation. First, pressure equation is solved on an Eulerian grid and streamlines are traced. Defining the "time of flight", saturation equations are mapped and solved on streamlines. Finally, the results are mapped back on Eulerian grid and the process is repeated until the simulation end time. The waterflooding process is considered in a fractured reservoir using the dual porosity model. Afterwards, a computational code is developed to solve the same problem by the IMPES method and the results of streamline simulation are compared to those of the IMPES and a commercial software. Finally, the accuracy and efficiency of streamline simulator for simulation of two-phase flow in fractured reservoirs has been proved.

A control volume based finite element method for simulating incompressible two-phase flow in heterogeneous porous media and its application to reservoir engineering

Applying the standard Galerkin finite element method for solving flow problems in porous media encounters some difficulties such as numerical oscillation at the shock front and discontinuity of the velocity field on element faces.Discontinuity of velocity field leads this method not to conserve mass locally.Moreover,the accuracy and stability of a solution is highly affected by a non-conservative method.In this paper,a three dimensional control volume finite element method is developed for twophase fluid flow simulation which overcomes the deficiency of the standard finite element method,and attains high-orders of accuracy at a reasonable computational cost.Moreover,this method is capable of handling heterogeneity in a very rational way.A fully implicit scheme is applied to temporal discretization of the governing equations to achieve an unconditionally stable solution.The accuracy and efficiency of the method are verified by simulating some waterflooding experiments.Some representative examples are presented to illustrate the capability of the method to simulate two-phase fluid flow in heterogeneous porous media.

Nonlinear amplitude versus angle inversion for transversely isotropic media with vertical symmetry axis using new weak anisotropy approximation equations

In VTI media,the conventional inversion methods based on the existing approximation formulas are difficult to accurately estimate the anisotropic parameters of reservoirs,even more so for unconventional reservoirs with strong seismic anisotropy.Theoretically,the above problems can be solved by utilizing the exact reflection coefficients equations.However,their complicated expression increases the difficulty in calculating the Jacobian matrix when applying them to the Bayesian deterministic inversion.Therefore,the new reduced approximation equations starting from the exact equations are derived here by linearizing the slowness expressions.The relatively simple form and satisfactory calculation accuracy make the reduced equations easy to apply for inversion while ensuring the accuracy of the inversion results.In addition,the blockiness constraint,which follows the differentiable Laplace distribution,is added to the prior model to improve contrasts between layers.Then,the concept of GLI and an iterative reweighted least-squares algorithm is combined to solve the objective function.Lastly,we obtain the iterative solution expression of the elastic parameters and anisotropy parameters and achieve nonlinear AVA inversion based on the reduced equations.The test results of synthetic data and field data show that the proposed method can accurately obtain the VTI parameters from prestack AVA seismic data.

THE NON-AXISYMMETRICAL DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF TRANSVERSELY ISOTROPIC SATURATED POROELASTIC MEDIA

The Biot’s wave equations of transversely isotropic saturated poroelastic media excited by non_axisymmetrical harmonic source were solved by means of Fourier expansion and Hankel transform. Then the components of total stress in porous media are expressed with the solutions of Biot’s wave equations. The method of research on non_axisymmetrical dynamic response of saturated porous media is discussed, and a numerical result is presented.

A lattice Boltzmann exploration of two-phase displacement in 2D porous media under various pressure boundary conditions

While experimental designs developed in recent decades have contributed to research on dynamic nonequilibrium effects in transient two-phase flow in porous media,this problem has been seldom investigated using direct numerical simulation(DNS).Only a few studies have sought to numerically solve Navier—Stokes equations with level-set(LS)or volume-of-fluid(VoF)methods,each of which has constraints in terms of meniscus dynamics for various flow velocities in the control volume(CV)domain.The Shan—Chen multiphase multicomponent lattice Boltzmann method(SC-LBM)has a fundamental mechanism to separate immiscible fluid phases in the density domain without these limitations.Therefore,this study applied it to explore two-phase displacement in a single representative elementary volume(REV)of two-dimensional(2D)porous media.As a continuation of a previous investigation into one-step inflow/outflow in 2D porous media,this work seeks to identify dynamic nonequilibrium effects on capillary pressure—saturation relationship(P_(c)—S)for quasi-steady-state flow and multistep inflow/outflow under various pressure boundary conditions.The simulation outcomes show that P_(c),S and specific interfacial area(a_(nw))had multistep-wise dynamic effects corresponding to the multistep-wise pressure boundary conditions.With finer adjustments to the increase in pressure over more steps,dynamic nonequilibrium effects were significantly alleviated and even finally disappeared to achieve quasisteady-state inflow/outflow conditions.Furthermore,triangular wave-formed pressure boundary conditions were applied in different periods to investigate dynamic nonequilibrium effects for hysteretical Pc—S.The results showed overshoot and undershoot of P_(c)to S in loops of the nonequilibrium hysteresis.In addition,the flow regimes of multistep-wise dynamic effects were analyzed in terms of Reynolds and capillary numbers(Re and Ca).The analysis of REV-scale flow regimes showed higher Re(1<Re<10)for more significant dynamic nonequilibrium effects.This indicates that inertia is critical for transient twophase flow in porous media under dynamic nonequilibrium conditions.

DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF PILES EMBEDDED IN TRANSVERSELY ISOTROPIC LAYERED MEDIA

Dynamic behavior of single pile embedded in transversely isotropic layered media is investigated using the finite element method combined with dynamic stiffness matrices of the soil derived from Green's function for ring loads. The influence of soil anisotropy on the dynamic behavior of piles is examined through a series of parametric studies.

A symplectic eigensolution method in transversely isotropic piezoelectric cylindrical media

This paper reports establishment of a symplectic system and introduces a 3D sub-symplectic structure for transversely isotropic piezoelectric media. A complete space of eigensolutions is obtained directly. Thus all solutions of the problem are re- duced to finding eigenvalues and eigensolutions, which include zero-eigenvalue solutions and all their Jordan normal form of the corresponding Hamiltonian matrix and non-zero-eigenvalue solutions. The classical solutions are described by zero-eigen- solutions and non-zero-eigensolutions show localized solutions. Numerical results show some rules of non-zero-eigenvalue and their eigensolutions.

MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF TWO-PHASE FLUID NONLINEAR FLOW IN LOW-PERMEABILITY POROUS MEDIA WITH APPLICATIONS

A mathematical model of two-phase fluid nonlinear flow in the direction of normal of ellipse through low-permeability porous media was established according to a nonlinear flow law expressed in a continuous function with three parameters, a mass conservation law and a concept of turbulent ellipses. A solution to the model was obtained by using a finite difference method and an extrapolation method. Formulas of calculating development index not only before but also after water breaks through an oil well in the condition of two-phase fluid nonlinear flow in the media were derived. An example was discussed. Water saturation distribution was presented. The moving law of drainage front was found. Laws of change of pressure difference with time were recognized. Results show that there is much difference of water saturation distribution between nonlinear flow and linear flow; that drainage front by water moves faster, water breaks through sooner and the index gets worse because of the nonlinear flow; and that dimensionless pressure difference gets larger at the same dimensionless time and difficulty of oil development becomes bigger by the nonlinear flow. Thus, it is necessary that influence of nonlinear flow on development indexes of the oil fields be taken into account. The results provide water-flooding development of the oilfields with scientific basis.

Wave field in two-phase media by the convolutional differentiator method

This paper applies the convolutional differentiator method, based on generalized Forsyte orthogonal polynomial （CFPD）, to simulate the seismic wave propagation in two-phase media. From the numerical results we can see that three types of waves, fast P-waves, S-waves and slow P-waves, can be observed in the seismic wave field. The experiments on anisotropic models demonstrate that the wavefront is elliptic instead of circular and S-wave splitting occurs in anisotropic two-phase media. The research has confirmed that the rules of elastic wave propagation in fluid-saturated porous media are controlled by Biot＇s theory. Experiment on a layered fault model shows the wavefield generated by the interface and the fault very well, indicating the effectiveness of CFPD method on the wavefield modeling for real layered media in the Earth. This research has potential applications to the investigation of Earth＇s deep structure and oil/gas exploration.

Pure q P-wave least-squares reverse time migration invertically transverse isotropic media and its application to field data

The anisotropic properties of subsurface media cause waveform distortions in seismic wave propagation,resulting in a negative infl uence on seismic imaging.In addition,wavefields simulated by the conventional coupled pseudo-acoustic equation are not only aff ected by SV-wave artifacts but are also limited by anisotropic parameters.We propose a least-squares reverse time migration(LSRTM)method based on the pure q P-wave equation in vertically transverse isotropic media.A fi nite diff erence and fast Fourier transform method,which can improve the effi ciency of the numerical simulation compared to a pseudo-spectral method,is used to solve the pure q P-wave equation.We derive the corresponding demigration operator,migration operator,and gradient updating formula to implement the LSRTM.Numerical tests on the Hess model and field data confirm that the proposed method has a good correction eff ect for the travel time deviation caused by underground anisotropic media.Further,it signifi cantly suppresses the migration noise,balances the imaging amplitude,and improves the imaging resolution.

Digital image processing of saturation for two-phase flow in planar porous media model

In this paper, the accuracy of estimating stained non-wetting phase saturation using digital image processing is examined, and a novel post-processing approach for calculating threshold is presented. In order to remove the effect of the background noise of images and to enhance the high-frequency component of the original image, image smoothing and image sharpening methods are introduced. Depending on the correct threshold, the image binarization processing is particularly useful for estimating stained non-wetting phase saturation. Calculated saturation data are compared with the measured saturation data during the two-phase flow experiment in an artificial steel planar porous media model. The results show that the calculated saturation data agree with the measured ones. With the help of an artificial steel planar porous media model, digital image processing is an accurate and simple method for obtaining the stained non-wetting phase saturation.

Study of the generalized mixture rule for determining effective conductivity of two-phase stochastic models

The generalized mixture rule （GMR） is usually applied in determining mechanical properties such as the rheological property and Young’s modulus of multi-phase rocks. However, it is rarely used to determine electrical conductivity of multi-phase rocks presently. In this paper, we calculate the effective conductivity using the 3D finite element method for a large number of two-phase medium stochastic models. The GMR is then employed as an effective conductivity model to fit the data. It shows a very close relationship between the parameter J of GMR and the ratio of conductivities of the two phases. We obtain the equations of the parameter J with the ratio of conductivity of two phases for the first time. On this basis, we can quickly predict （or calculate） the effective conductivity of any twophase medium stochastic model. The result is much more accurate than two other available effective conductivity models for the stochastic medium, which are the random model and effective medium theory model, laying a solid base for detailed evaluation of oil reservoirs.

Examination of two-phase behaviors in porous media during pool boiling

The enhancement of pool boiling heat transfer using porous media has been extensively studied.Although the two-phase distribution and evolution in porous media are crucial to the heat transfer performance,including the critical heat flux(CHF)and heat transfer coefficient(HTC),direct observation of the two-phase flow inside the media is limited owing to the blockage of the direct view from the porous structures.In this study,pool boiling visualization experiments were conducted on porous samples with different throat widths in deionized water.The results showed that the HTC increased with the throat width.Additionally,the growth-contraction cycle of the vapor region and the formation and drying of the wall liquid film inside the porous media were investigated.The vapor region,including the maximum and minimum areas in the boiling cycle,was quantitatively described.Furthermore,the relationship between the minimum gas-phase area and HTC peak was identified.A one-dimensional transient model was developed considering solid skeleton heat conduction,liquid film evaporation,and vapor region growth to quantitatively study the influence of heat flux on the internal two-phase flow.The model successfully captured the maximum gas-phase area,duration of boiling cycles,and HTC trends at specific heat fluxes.The results of this quantitative study provide insights into the internal two-phase distribution and evolution induced by pool boiling.

Multi-fracture interactions during two-phase flow of oil and water in deformable tight sandstone oil reservoirs

Tight oil reservoirs are complex geological materials composed of solid matrix,pore structure,and mixed multiple phases of fluids,particularly for oil reservoirs suffering from high content of in situ pressurized water found in China.In this regard,a coupled model considering two-phase flow of oil and water,as well as deformation and damage evolution of porous media,is proposed and validated using associated results,including the oil depletion process,analytical solution of stress shadow effect,and physical experiments on multi-fracture interactions and fracture propagation in unsaturated seepage fields.Then,the proposed model is used to study the behavior of multi-fracture interactions in an unsaturated reservoir in presence of water and oil.The results show that conspicuous interactions exist among multiple induced fractures.Interaction behavior varies from extracted geological profiles of the reservoir due to in situ stress anisotropy.The differential pressures of water and that of oil in different regions of reservoir affect interactions and trajectories of multi-fractures to a considerable degree.The absolute value of reservoir average pressure is a dominant factor affecting fracture interactions and in favor of enhancing fracture network complexity.In addition,difference of reservoir average pressures in different regions of reservoir would promote the fracturing effectiveness.Factors affecting fracture interactions and reservoir treatment effectiveness are quantitatively estimated through stimulated reservoir area.This study confirms the significance of incorporating the two-phase flow process in analyses of multifracture interactions and fracture trajectory predictions during tight sandstone oil reservoir developments.

Numerical Approach of a Coupled Pressure-Saturation Model Describing Oil-Water Flow in Porous Media

Two-phase flow in porous media is a very active field of research,due to its important applications in groundwater pollution,CO_(2)sequestration,or oil and gas production from petroleum reservoirs,just to name a few of them.Fractional flow equations,which make use of Darcy's law,for describing the movement of two immiscible fluids in a porous medium,are among the most relevant mathematical models in reservoir simulation.This work aims to solve a fractional flow model formed by an elliptic equation,representing the spatial distribution of the pressure,and a hyperbolic equation describing the space-time evolution of water saturation.The numerical solution of the elliptic part is obtained using a finite-element(FE)scheme,while the hyperbolic equation is solved by means of two dif-ferent numerical approaches,both in the finite-volume(FV)framework.One is based on a monotonic upstream-centered scheme for conservation laws(MUSCL)-Hancock scheme,whereas the other makes use of a weighted essentially non-oscillatory(ENO)reconstruc-tion.In both cases,a first-order centered(FORCE)-αnumerical scheme is applied for inter-cell flux reconstruction,which constitutes a new contribution in the field of fractional flow models describing oil-water movement.A relevant feature of this work is the study of the effect of the parameterαon the numerical solution of the models considered.We also show that,in the FORCE-αmethod,when the parameterαincreases,the errors diminish and the order of accuracy is more properly attained,as verified using a manufactured solution technique.

基于分数阶Zener模型的VTI黏弹性介质频变Q效应数值模拟

黏弹性是地球介质的基本属性.地震波在黏弹性介质中传播会发生振幅衰减和速度频散,导致能量和走时出现变化,影响地震资料的准确成像及解释.因此,研究地震波在黏弹性介质中的传播规律具有重要意义.当前,主要利用常Q(不随频率变化)模型(CQM)表征地震波在地球介质中的传播规律,与高温、高压或含流体介质中观测到的Q随频率变化规律不符.基于分数阶Zener模型(FZM),通过改变分数阶大小,本文研究了Q的频变特性随分数阶的变化规律.考虑速度和Q各向异性,推导了VTI介质的FZM黏弹性波方程,提出了VTI介质的频变Q效应数值模拟方法.数值算例表明:当Q随频率变化较小时,FZM与CQM方法的结果相似;当Q随频率变化剧烈时,FZM与CQM方法的模拟结果差异较大.