Integrated numerical simulation of hydraulic fracturing and production in shale gas well considering gas-water two-phase flow

Based on the displacement discontinuity method and the discrete fracture unified pipe network model,a sequential iterative numerical method was used to build a fracturing-production integrated numerical model of shale gas well considering the two-phase flow of gas and water.The model accounts for the influence of natural fractures and matrix properties on the fracturing process and directly applies post-fracturing formation pressure and water saturation distribution to subsequent well shut-in and production simulation,allowing for a more accurate fracturing-production integrated simulation.The results show that the reservoir physical properties have great impacts on fracture propagation,and the reasonable prediction of formation pressure and reservoir fluid distribution after the fracturing is critical to accurately predict the gas and fluid production of the shale gas wells.Compared with the conventional method,the proposed model can more accurately simulate the water and gas production by considering the impact of fracturing on both matrix pressure and water saturation.The established model is applied to the integrated fracturing-production simulation of practical horizontal shale gas wells.The simulation results are in good agreement with the practical production data,thus verifying the accuracy of the model.

Numerical simulation of surface and downholedeformation induced by hydraulic fracturing

Tiltmeter mapping technology infers hydraulic fracture geometry by measuringfracture-induced rock deformation, which recorded by highly sensitive tiltmeters placed atthe surface and in nearby observation wells. By referencing Okada＇s linear elastic theory andGreen＇s function method, we simulate and analyze the surface and downhole deformationcaused by hydraulic fracturing using the homogeneous elastic half-space model and layeredelastic model. Simulation results suggest that there is not much difference in the surfacedeformation patterns between the two models, but there is a significant difference in thedownhole deformation patterns when hydraulic fracturing penetrates a stratum. In suchcases, it is not suitable to assume uniform elastic half-space when calculating the downholedeformation. This work may improve the accuracy and reliability of the inversion results oftiltmeter monitoring data.

Effects of Loading Paths on Hydrodynamic Deep Drawing with Independent Radial Hydraulic Pressure of Aluminum Alloy Based on Numerical Simulation

In order to meet the forming demands for low plasticity materials and large height-diameter ratio parts, a new process of hydrodynamic deep drawing （HDD） with independent radial hydraulic pressure is proposed. To investigate the effects of loading paths on the HDD with independent radial hydraulic pressure, the forming process of 5A06 aluminum alloy cylindrical cup with a hemispherical bottom was studied by numerical simulation. By employing the dynamic explicit analytical software ETA/Dynaform based on LS-DYNA3D, the effects of loading paths on the sheet-thickness distribution and surface quality were analyzed. The corresponding relations of the radial hydraulic pressure loading paths and the part＇s strain status on the forming limit diagram （FLD） were also discussed. The results indicated that a sound match between liquid chamber pressure and independent radial hydraulic pressure could restrain the serious thinning at the hemisphere bottom and that through adjusting radial hydraulic pressure could reduce the radial tensile strain and change the strain paths. Therefore, the drawing limit of the aluminum cylindrical cup with a hemispherical bottom could be increased significantly.

Design and dynamic simulation of hydraulic system of a new automatic transmission

A new hydraulic system of a novel automatic transmission (AT) was designed. The dimension and structure of valves and cylinders were designed by theoretical calculation. The dynamic simulation model of hydraulic system of AT was established by ITI-SimulationX. Simulation results and theoretical design results were compared to confirm the simulation model. Based on the confirmed simulation model, the simulation results of pressure and flow of the hydraulic system were analyzed. The dynamic simulation method is very helpful for designing and analyzing the performance of hydraulic system and further optimization design. The theoretical design method and dynamic simulation model are feasible for the real industrial applications. The research results can be used in hydraulic system design and optimization.

Numerical simulation of hydraulic fracture propagation in weakly consolidated sandstone reservoirs

Frac-packing technology has been introduced to improve the development effect of weakly consolidated sandstone.It has double effects on increasing production and sand control.However,determining operation parameters of frac-packing is the key factor due to the particularity of weakly consolidated sandstone.In order to study the mechanisms of hydraulic fracture propagation and reveal the effect of fracturing parameters on fracture morphology in weakly consolidated sandstone,finite element numerical model of fluid-solid coupling is established to carry out numerical simulation to analyze influences of mechanical characteristics,formation permeability,fracturing fluid injection rate and viscosity on fracture propagation.The result shows that lower elastic modulus is favorable for inducing short and wide fractures and controls the fracture length while Poisson ratio has almost no effect.Large injection rate and high viscosity of fracturing fluid are advantageous to fracture initiation and propagation.Suitable fractures are produced when the injection rate is approximate to3–4m3/min and fluid viscosity is over100mPa?s.The leak-off of fracturing fluid to formation is rising with the increase of formation permeability,which is adverse to fracture propagation.The work provides theoretical reference to determine the construction parameters for the frac-packing design in weakly consolidated reservoirs.

Numerical simulation of fault activity owing to hydraulic fracturing

We built a three-dimensional model to simulate the disturbance of the stress field near the reverse fault in Zhaziao, Leyi Township owing to hydraulic fracturing. The pore pressure, and shear and normal stresses during fracturing are analyzed in detail. Input rock mechanics parameters are taken from laboratory test data of shale samples from the study area. The simulation results suggest that after 16 hours of fluid injection, the pore-pressure variation can activate the reverse fault, i.e., we observe reverse slip, and the shear stress and displacement on the fault plane increase with time. The biggest stress–strain change occurs after one hour of fluid injection and the yield point appears about 0.5 h after injection. To observe the stress evolution in each section, the normal displacement on the boundary is constrained and the fault plane is set as nonpermeable. Thus, the sliding is limited and the shear displacement is only in the scale of millimeters, and the calculated magnitude of the induced earthquakes is between Mw-3.5 and Mw-0.2. The simulation results suggest that fluid water injection results in inhomogeneous fracturing. The main ruptured areas are around the injection positions, whereas the extent of rupturing and cracks in other areas are relatively small. Nevertheless, nonnegligible fault activation is recorded. Sensitivity analysis of the key parameters suggests that the pore pressure is most sensitive to the maximum unbalanced force and the internal friction angle strongly affects the fault slip. Finally, the comparison between the effective normal stress and the maximum and minimum principal stresses on the fault plane explains the fault instability, i.e., the Mohr circle moves towards the left with decreasing radius reduces and intersects the critical slip envelope, and causes the fault to slip.

Wing crack model subjected to high hydraulic pressure and far field stresses and its numerical simulation

By considering the effect of hydraulic pressure filled in wing crack and the connected part of main crack on the stress intensity factor at wing crack tip, a new wing crack model exerted by hydraulic pressure and far field stresses was proposed. By introducing the equivalent crack length lcq of wing crack, two terms make up the stress intensity factor K1 at wing crack tip： one is the component K（1） for a single isolated straight wing crack of length 2l subjected to hydraulic pressure in wing crack and far field stresses, and the other is the component K1^（2） due to the effective shear stress induced by the presence of the equivalent main crack. The FEM model of wing crack propagation subjected to hydraulic pressure and far field stresses was also established according to different side pressure coefficients and hydraulic pressures in crack. The result shows that a good agreement is found between theoretical model of wing crack proposed and finite element method （FEM）. In theory, an unstable crack propagation is shown if there is high hydraulic pressure and lateral tension. The wing crack model proposed can provide references for studying on hydraulic fracturing in rock masses.

Spanning tree-based algorithm for hydraulic simulation of large-scale water supply networks

With the purpose of making calculation more efficient in practical hydraulic simulations, an improved algorithm was proposed and was applied in the practical water distribution field. This methodology was developed by expanding the traditional loop-equation theory through utilization of the advantages of the graph theory in efficiency. The utilization of the spanning tree technique from graph theory makes the proposed algorithm efficient in calculation and simple to use for computer coding. The algorithms for topological generation and practical implementations are presented in detail in this paper. Through the application to a practical urban system, the consumption of the CPU time and computation memory were decreased while the accuracy was greatly enhanced compared with the present existing methods.

Numerical simulation of hydraulic fracturing and associated microseismicity using finite-discrete element method

Hydraulic fracturing （HF） technique has been extensively used for the exploitation of unconventional oiland gas reservoirs. HF enhances the connectivity of less permeable oil and gas-bearing rock formationsby fluid injection, which creates an interconnected fracture network and increases the hydrocarbonproduction. Meanwhile, microseismic （MS） monitoring is one of the most effective approaches to evaluatesuch stimulation process. In this paper, the combined finite-discrete element method （FDEM） isadopted to numerically simulate HF and associated MS. Several post-processing tools, includingfrequency-magnitude distribution （b-value）, fractal dimension （D-value）, and seismic events clustering,are utilized to interpret numerical results. A non-parametric clustering algorithm designed specificallyfor FDEM is used to reduce the mesh dependency and extract more realistic seismic information.Simulation results indicated that at the local scale, the HF process tends to propagate following the rockmass discontinuities; while at the reservoir scale, it tends to develop in the direction parallel to themaximum in-situ stress. 2014 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Computer Simulation of Turbulent Flow through a Hydraulic Turbine Draft Tube

Based on the Naviev-Stokes equations and the standard κ-ε turbulence model, this paper presents the derivation of the governing equations for the turbulent flow field in a draft tube. The mathematical model for the turbulent flow through a draft tube is set up when the boundary conditions, including the inlet boundary conditions, the outlet boundary conditions and the wall boundary conditions, have been implemented. The governing equations are formulated in a discrete form on a staggered grid system by the finite volume method. The second-order central difference approximation and hybrid scheme are used for discretization. The computation and analysis on internal flow through a draft tube have been carried out by using the simplee algorithm and cfx-tasc flow software so as to obtain the simulated flow fields. The calculation results at the design operating condition for the draft tube are presented in this paper. Thereby, an effective method for simulating the internal flow field in a draft tube has been explored.

Numerical Simulation on a Throttle Governing System with Hydraulic Butterfly Valves in a Marine Environment

Hydraulic butterfly valves have been widely applied in marine engineering because of their large switching torque, low pressure loss and suitability for large and medium diameter pipelines. Due to control problems resulting from switching angular speeds of the hydraulic butterfly valve, a throttle-governing control mode has been widely adopted, and detailed analysis has been carried out worldwide on the structural principle concerning speed-regulation and the load torque on the shaft while opening or closing a hydraulic butterfly valve. However relevant reports have yet been published on the change law, the error and the influencing factors of the rotational angular velocity of the hydraulic butterfly valve while opening and closing. In this article, research was based on some common specifications of a hydraulic butterfly valve with a symmetrical valve flap existing in a marine environment. The throttle governing system supplied by the accumulator to achieve the switching of the hydraulic control valve was adopted, and the mathematical models of the system were established in the actual conditions while the numerical simulations took place. The simulation results and analysis show that the rotational angular velocity and the error of the hydraulic butterfly valve while switching is influenced greatly by the drainage amount of the accumulator, resulting in pressure loss in the pipeline, the temperature of hydraulic medium and the load of the hydraulic butterfly valve. The simulation results and analysis provide a theoretical basis for the choice of the total capacity of the accumulator and pipeline diameters in a throttle governing system with a hydraulic butterfly valve.It also determines the type and specification of the hydraulic butterfly valve and the design of motion parameters of the transported fluid.

Dynamic Simulation and Valve Structure Optimization of an Electro-Hydraulic Clutch Shift Control System in an Automatic Transmission

The electro-hydraulic clutch control system controls the transferred torque of gear-shifting clutches in clutch-to-clutch transmissions. A nonlinear dynamic model of an electro-hydraulic clutch shift control system is presented. The mechanical and fluid subsystems of all valves are investigated, including their interactions. Model validation of the electro-hydraulic valve system is performed by comparing the simulated and measured pressure curves. The dynamic characteristics of the electro-hydraulic clutch shift control system with different supply pressures and different fluid temperatures are simulated and evaluated. It is found that pipes which are often ignored between the electro-hydraulic valve system and the clutch piston,have strong influence on clutch piston chamber pressures. In order to satisfy the required time and reduce the fluctuation of the clutch piston chamber pressures,the orifices' diameters and valve structure are optimized.

Research on hydraulic wind turbine semi-physical simulation platform

According to a research on the 30kVA simulation experimental platform of hydraulic wind tur- bine, its basic structure, composition and operation principle are expounded in this paper. An in- verter motor is used to simulate the wind turbine, while a similarity calculation method is applied be- tween the small and large wind turbine. A fixed displacement pump-variable motor closed loop is used as the main transmission system, and a self-excited synchronous generator generates electricity through the grid connection. The experiment and simulation study on the speed and power control of the hydraulic wind turbine is conducted, based on the experimental platform, thus correctness and progressiveness of the experiment platform is further verified. The experimental platform study lays a foundation for further research on the characteristics of hydraulic wind turhln~

Simulation and experimental study on hydraulic driving fan cooling system for construction machinery working on plateau

Overheating of the engine, the transmission and the hydraulic device is a problem when the construction machinery works on plateau. To solve this problem, we proposed an electro-controlled hydraulic driving fan cooling system (ECHDFCS). The system was applied to a 50-wheel loader. We carried out the coolant temperature simulation using fluid modeling software FLOWMASTER, followed by laboratory experiments and road tests. The results show that ECHDFCS can adjust the cooling capability of the system automatically based on machine heat dissipation requirements. The coolant temperature is consequently remained within an appropriate range. The simulation results are consistent with the experiment results when the experiment is performed on the plain, but are different from the road tests in some investigated parameters on the plateau.

Co-simulation of a quadruped robot's mechanical and hydraulic systems based on ADAMS and AMESim

In order to observe the change and fluctuation in flow and pressure of a hydraulic quadruped robot＇s hydraulic system when the robot walks on trot gait,a co-simulation method based on ADAMS and AMESim is proposed. Firstly,the change rule in each swing angle of the hydraulic quadruped robot＇s four legs is analyzed and converted to the displacement change of the hydraulic cylinder by calculating their geometric relationship.Secondly,the robot＇s dynamic model is built in ADAMS and its hydraulic and control system models are built in AMESim. The displacement change of the hydraulic cylinder in the hydraulic system is used as the driving function of the dynamics model in ADAMS,and the driving force of the dynamics model is used as the loads of the hydraulic system in AMESim. By introducing the PID closed-loop control in the control system,the co-simulation between hydraulic system and mechanical system is implemented. Finally,the curve of hydraulic cylinders＇ loads,flow and pressure are analyzed and the results show that they fluctuate highly in accordance with the real situation. The study provides data support for the development of a hydraulic quadruped robot＇s physical prototype.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON HYDRAULIC COUNTER-PRESSURE DEEP DRAWING OF CONICAL PART

Hydraulic counter pressure deep drawing of truncated conical part is numerically simulated with MARK and the nature of increasing the forming limit in this process is searched.The effects of blank holding force and chamber pressure on forming results are investigated by experiments and,as a result,truncated conical parts with large drawing ratio are successfully formed in single step with this drawing method.

Co-Simulation Research of the Mechanical-Hydraulic-Control Coupling System of ITER Tractor

The virtual prototyping models of the mechanical, hydraulic and control system of the ITER tractor were built with CATIA, ADAMS and MATLAB/Simulink respectively according to its heavy load and high precision characteristics, and the data transfer between the different models was accomplished by the integration interface between different software. Consequently the virtual experimental platform for the multi-disciplinary co-simulation was established. A co-simulation study of the mechanical-hydraulic-control coupling system of the ITER tractor was carried out. The synchronization servo control of parallel hydraulic cylinders was implemented, and the tracking control of the preconcerted trajectory of the hydraulic cylinders was realized on the established experimental platform. This paper presents the optimization design and technology rebuilding for the complicated coupling system with its theoretic foundation and co-simulation virtual experimental platform.

Application of transparent casting moulds prepared by additive manufacturing technology in hydraulic simulation

Hydraulic simulation is one of the critical methods to research the filling mechanism of molten metal in the casting process.However,it only performs on test pieces with relatively simple structures due to the limitation of the preparation method.In this study,the method of photocuring additive manufacturing was used to prepare the complex casting mould from transparent photosensitive resin.The pouring test was carried out under different centrifugal conditions,and the filling process of the gating system,support bars and other positions in the vertical direction was recorded and analyzed.The experimental results show that the internal liquid level and the filling process of the test piece prepared by this method can be observed clearly.The angle between the liquid surface and the horizontal plane in the test piece gradually increases as the centrifugal rotational speed increases,which means the filling process is carried out from outside to inside at high rotational speed.The velocity of the fluid entering the runner increases with the increase of rotational speed,but the filling speeds is less affected by the centrifugal speed at other positions.The liquid flow is continuous and stable during the forward filling process,without splashing or interruption of liquid droplets.

Research on buffer structure and flow field simulation of swash plate plunger type hydraulic transformer

In order to solve the problem of excessive noise and vibration during the operation of the hydraulic transformer,an optimization method of valve plate damping hole structure is proposed to alleviate the phenomenon of pressure shock.Firstly,the mathematical model of oil pressure gradient in the plunger cavity is established,and the incremental equation of pressure change is derived.Secondly,a kind of buffering structure is proposed,the corresponding relationship between the pressure change and the envelopment angle of the buffering hole and the aperture size is determined by analyzing the oil pressure change curve in the plunger cavity.Finally,the flow field models with buffering holes are established,and the transient simulation of the pressure change process under the optimal solution is carried out with ANSYS software and the flow field pressure distribution contours are obtained.Through the analysis of simulation results,it is concluded that the optimal envelope angle of the three buffer holes ofA-T-B-Ais 5°,and the optimal aperture is 1.8 mm,1.6 mm,and 1.7 mm,respectively.The buffer hole can achieve a better-buffering effect in the range of variable pressure angle[0°,101°].The buffer hole structure can effectively alleviate the pressure shock and reduce the noise level,which lays a foundation for the design and theoretical research of hydraulic transformers.

Simulation and Experimental Study on Influence of Multi⁃port Integrated Hydraulic Transformer Port Number on Transformer Ratio Characteristics

The integrated hydraulic transformer has a compact structure and no throttling loss in the process of pressure regulation.It is widely used in the common pressure rail hydrostatic transmission system.The integrated hydraulic transformer is realized by designing more than three ports on the distribution plate,and the voltage transformation characteristics of the integrated hydraulic transformer with different port numbers are different.In this paper,the influence of port number on the pressure ratio of integrated hydraulic transformer was studied,and the pressure ratio characteristics of 3⁃ports,4⁃ports,and 5⁃ports integrated hydraulic transformer were obtained,and an experimental platform was built for experimental verification,which shows that the simulation results are consistent with the experimental results and provides a theoretical basis for the design of integrated hydraulic transformer.