Numerical manifold method for thermo-mechanical coupling simulation of fractured rock mass

As a calculation method based on the Galerkin variation,the numerical manifold method(NMM)adopts a double covering system,which can easily deal with discontinuous deformation problems and has a high calculation accuracy.Aiming at the thermo-mechanical(TM)coupling problem of fractured rock masses,this study uses the NMM to simulate the processes of crack initiation and propagation in a rock mass under the influence of temperature field,deduces related system equations,and proposes a penalty function method to deal with boundary conditions.Numerical examples are employed to confirm the effectiveness and high accuracy of this method.By the thermal stress analysis of a thick-walled cylinder(TWC),the simulation of cracking in the TWC under heating and cooling conditions,and the simulation of thermal cracking of the SwedishÄspöPillar Stability Experiment(APSE)rock column,the thermal stress,and TM coupling are obtained.The numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the test data and other numerical results,thus verifying the effectiveness of the NMM in dealing with thermal stress and crack propagation problems of fractured rock masses.

Borehole stability in naturally fractured rocks with drilling mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening:A coupled DFN-DEM approach

Borehole instability in naturally fractured rocks poses significant challenges to drilling.Drilling mud invades the surrounding formations through natural fractures under the difference between the wellbore pressure(P w)and pore pressure(P p)during drilling,which may cause wellbore instability.However,the weakening of fracture strength due to mud intrusion is not considered in most existing borehole stability analyses,which may yield significant errors and misleading predictions.In addition,only limited factors were analyzed,and the fracture distribution was oversimplified.In this paper,the impacts of mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening on borehole stability in fractured rocks under both isotropic and anisotropic stress states are investigated using a coupled DEM(distinct element method)and DFN(discrete fracture network)method.It provides estimates of the effect of fracture strength weakening,wellbore pressure,in situ stresses,and sealing efficiency on borehole stability.The results show that mud intrusion and weakening of fracture strength can damage the borehole.This is demonstrated by the large displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on natural fractures,and the generation of fracture at shear limit.Mud intrusion reduces the shear strength of the fracture surface and leads to shear failure,which explains that the increase in mud weight may worsen borehole stability during overbalanced drilling in fractured formations.A higher in situ stress anisotropy exerts a significant influence on the mechanism of shear failure distribution around the wellbore.Moreover,the effect of sealing natural fractures on maintaining borehole stability is verified in this study,and the increase in sealing efficiency reduces the radial invasion distance of drilling mud.This study provides a directly quantitative prediction method of borehole instability in naturally fractured formations,which can consider the discrete fracture network,mud intrusion,and associated weakening of fracture strength.The information provided by the numerical approach(e.g.displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on fracture,and fracture at shear limit)is helpful for managing wellbore stability and designing wellbore-strengthening operations.

Creep constitutive model considering nonlinear creep degradation of fractured rock

Stability analysis of underground constructions requires a model study of rock masses’ long-term performance. Creep tests under different stress conditions was conducted on intact granite and granite samples fractured at 30° and 45° angles. The experimental results indicate that the steady creep strain rates of intact and fractured rock present an exponential increase trend with the increase of stress level. A nonlinear creep model is developed based on the experimental results, in which the initial damage caused by fracture together with the damage caused by constant load have been taken into consideration. The fitting analysis results indicated that the model proposed is more accurate at identifying the full creep regions in fractured granite, especially the accelerated stage of creep deformation. The least-square fit error of the proposed creep model is significantly lower than that of Nishihara model by almost an order of magnitude. An analysis of the effects of elastic modulus, viscosity coefficient, and damage factors on fractured rock strain rate and creep strain is conducted. If no consideration is given to the effects of the damage, the proposed nonlinear creep model can degenerate into to the classical Nishihara model.

A phase-field model for simulating the propagation behavior of mixed-mode cracks during the hydraulic fracturing process in fractured reservoirs

A novel phase-field model for the propagation of mixed-mode hydraulic fractures,characterized by the formation of mixed-mode fractures due to the interactions between fluids and solids,is proposed.In this model,the driving force for the phase field consists of both tensile and shear components,with the fluid contribution primarily manifesting in the tension driving force.The displacement and pressure are solved simultaneously by an implicit method.The numerical solution's iterative format is established by the finite element discretization and Newton-Raphson(NR)iterative methods.The correctness of the model is verified through the uniaxial compression physical experiments on fluid-pressurized rocks,and the limitations of the hydraulic fracture expansion phase-field model,which only considers mode I fractures,are revealed.In addition,the influence of matrix mode II fracture toughness value,natural fracture mode II toughness value,and fracturing fluid injection rate on the hydraulic fracture propagation in porous media with natural fractures is studied.

Pressure transient characteristics of non-uniform conductivity fractured wells in viscoelasticity polymer flooding based on oil-water two-phase flow

Polymer flooding in fractured wells has been extensively applied in oilfields to enhance oil recovery.In contrast to water,polymer solution exhibits non-Newtonian and nonlinear behavior such as effects of shear thinning and shear thickening,polymer convection,diffusion,adsorption retention,inaccessible pore volume and reduced effective permeability.Meanwhile,the flux density and fracture conductivity along the hydraulic fracture are generally non-uniform due to the effects of pressure distribution,formation damage,and proppant breakage.In this paper,we present an oil-water two-phase flow model that captures these complex non-Newtonian and nonlinear behavior,and non-uniform fracture characteristics in fractured polymer flooding.The hydraulic fracture is firstly divided into two parts:high-conductivity fracture near the wellbore and low-conductivity fracture in the far-wellbore section.A hybrid grid system,including perpendicular bisection(PEBI)and Cartesian grid,is applied to discrete the partial differential flow equations,and the local grid refinement method is applied in the near-wellbore region to accurately calculate the pressure distribution and shear rate of polymer solution.The combination of polymer behavior characterizations and numerical flow simulations are applied,resulting in the calculation for the distribution of water saturation,polymer concentration and reservoir pressure.Compared with the polymer flooding well with uniform fracture conductivity,this non-uniform fracture conductivity model exhibits the larger pressure difference,and the shorter bilinear flow period due to the decrease of fracture flow ability in the far-wellbore section.The field case of the fall-off test demonstrates that the proposed method characterizes fracture characteristics more accurately,and yields fracture half-lengths that better match engineering reality,enabling a quantitative segmented characterization of the near-wellbore section with high fracture conductivity and the far-wellbore section with low fracture conductivity.The novelty of this paper is the analysis of pressure performances caused by the fracture dynamics and polymer rheology,as well as an analysis method that derives formation and fracture parameters based on the pressure and its derivative curves.

Identifying flow regime in the aquifer of fractured rock system in Germi Chai Basin,Iran

Considering the importance of fractured rock aquifers in the hydrogeologic process,this research aimed to analyze the flow regime,internal degree of karstification,and estimate storage volume in fractured rock aquifers of the Germi Chai Basin in northwest Iran,which is attributed to its active tectonics,erosion,and the lithological diversity.Given the geological setting,the hypothesis is that this basin is characterized by a high degree of karstification and diffuse or intermediate flow regime leading to variation in discharge flow rate.The hydrodynamic and hadrochemical analysis was conducted on 9 well distributed springs across the basin from 2019 to 2020.The maximum flow rate in most of the springs appeared in the early wet season despite their different levels of fluctuations on the monthly discharge time series.Analyzing the spring recession curve form revealed an aquifer containing multiple micro-regimes withαrecession coefficients and a degree of karstification ranging between 0.001 to 0.06 and 0.55 to 2.61,respectively.These findings indicated a dominant diffuse and intermediate flow system resulting from the development of a high density of fractures in this area.The electrical conductivity of the spring changes inversely proportional to the change in flow discharge,indicating the reasonable hydrological response of the aquifer to rainfall events.Hydrograph analysis revealed that the delay time of spring discharge after rainfall events mostly varies between 10 to 30 days.The total dynamic storage volume of the spring for a given period(2019-2020)was estimated to be approximately 1324 million cubic meters reflecting the long-term drainage potential and high perdurability of dynamic storage.Estimating the maximum and minimum ratio revealed that the springs recharging system in Germi Chai Basin comes under the slow aquifers category.This finding provides valuable insight into the hydrogeological properties of fractured rock aquifers contributing to effective water management strategy.

Exploring pore-scale production characteristics of oil shale after CO_(2) huff‘n’puff in fractured shale with varied permeability

Recent studies have indicated that the injection of carbon dioxide(CO_(2))can lead to increased oil recovery in fractured shale reservoirs following natural depletion.Despite advancements in understanding mass exchange processes in subsurface formations,there remains a knowledge gap concerning the disparities in these processes between the matrix and fractures at the pore scale in formations with varying permeability.This study aims to experimentally investigate the CO_(2) diffusion behaviors and in situ oil recovery through a CO_(2) huff‘n’puff process in the Jimsar shale oil reservoir.To achieve this,we designed three matrix-fracture models with different permeabilities(0.074 mD,0.170 mD,and 0.466 mD)and experimented at 30 MPa and 91°C.The oil concentration in both the matrix and fracture was monitored using a low-field nuclear magnetic resonance(LF-NMR)technique to quantify in situ oil recovery and elucidate mass-exchange behaviors.The results showed that after three cycles of CO_(2) huff‘n’puff,the total recovery degree increased from 30.28%to 34.95%as the matrix permeability of the core samples increased from 0.074 to 0.466 mD,indicating a positive correlation between CO_(2) extraction efficiency and matrix permeability.Under similar fracture conditions,the increase in matrix permeability further promoted CO_(2) extraction efficiency during CO_(2) huff‘n’puff.Specifically,the increase in matrix permeability of the core had the greatest effect on the extraction of the first-cycle injection in large pores,which increased from 16.42%to 36.64%.The findings from our research provide valuable insights into the CO_(2) huff‘n’puff effects in different pore sizes following fracturing under varying permeability conditions,shedding light on the mechanisms of CO_(2)-enhanced oil recovery in fractured shale oil reservoirs.

Evaluation of Well Spacing for Primary Development of Fractured Horizontal Wells in Tight Sandstone Gas Reservoirs

Methods for horizontal well spacing calculation in tight gas reservoirs are still adversely affected by the complexity of related control factors,such as strong reservoir heterogeneity and seepage mechanisms.In this study,the stress sensitivity and threshold pressure gradient of various types of reservoirs are quantitatively evaluated through reservoir seepage experiments.On the basis of these experiments,a numerical simulation model(based on the special seepage mechanism)and an inverse dynamic reserve algorithm(with different equivalent drainage areas)were developed.The well spacing ranges of Classes I,II,and III wells in the Q gas field are determined to be 802–1,000,600–662,and 285–400 m,respectively,with their average ranges as 901,631,and 342.5 m,respectively.By considering both the pairs of parallel well groups and series well groups as examples,the reliability of the calculation results is verified.It is shown that the combination of the two models can reduce errors and provide accurate results.

Cemented vertebra and adjacent vertebra refractured in a chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder patient: A case report

BACKGROUND Although percutaneous vertebral augmentation(PVA)is a commonly used procedure for treating vertebral compression fracture(VCF),the risk of vertebral refracture should be considered.Chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder(CKD-MBD)is a systemic disease of mineral and bone metabolism.It is associated with an increased risk of fracture.Few studies have reported the use of PVA in patients with CKD-MBD.We herein report a rare case wherein the cemented vertebra and the adjacent vertebra refractured simultaneously in a CKD-MBD patient after PVA.CASE SUMMARY A 74-year-old man suffered from low back pain after taking a fall about 3 wk ago.According to physical examination,imaging and laboratory findings,diagnoses of T12 VCF,CKD-MBD,and chronic kidney disease stage 5 were established.He then received percutaneous vertebroplasty at T12 vertebra.Fourteen weeks later,he presented with T12 and L1 vertebral refractures caused by lumbar sprain.Once again,he was given PVA which was optimized for the refractured vertebrae.Although the short-term postoperative effect was satisfactory,he reported chronic low back pain again at the 3-month follow-up.CONCLUSION It is necessary that patients with CKD-MBD who have received PVA are aware of the adverse effects of CKD-MBD.It may increase the risk of vertebral refracture.Furthermore,the PVA surgical technique needs to be optimized according to the condition of the patient.The medium-and long-term effects of PVA remain uncertain in patients with CKD-MBD.

Experimental study of surfactant-enhanced spontaneous imbibition in fractured tight sandstone reservoirs: The effect of fracture distribution

Spontaneous imbibition is an important phenomenon in tight reservoirs.The existence of a large number of fractures and micro-nano pores is the key factor affecting the spontaneous imbibition of tight reservoirs.In this study,based on high-pressure mercury injection and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments,the pore distribution of tight sandstone is described.The influence of fractures,core porosity and permeability,and surfactants on the spontaneous imbibition of tight sandstone are studied by physical fracturing,interfacial tension test,wettability test and imbibition experiments.The results show that:the pore radius of tight sandstone is concentrated in 0.01-1 mm.Fractures can effectively reduce the oil drop adsorption on the core surface,enhancing the imbibition recovery of the tight sandstone with an increase of about 10%.As the number of fractures increases,the number of oil droplets adsorbed on the core surface decrease and the imbibition rate increases.The imbibition recovery increases with the increase in pore connectivity,while the imbibition rate increases with the increases in core porosity and permeability.The surfactant can improve the core water wettability and reduce the oilwater interfacial tension,reducing the adsorption of oil droplets on the core surface,and improving the core imbibition recovery with an increase of about 15%.In a word,the existence of fractures and surfactants can enhance the pore connectivity of the reservoir,reduce the adsorption of oil droplets on the core surface,and improve the imbibition rate and recovery rate of the tight oil reservoir.

A novel production data analysis method for multi-fractured horizontal wells with infill well-caused fracture interference

Tightening the well spacing for unconventional tight reservoirs is an efficient technique to enhance oil and gas recoveries.Infill well-caused fracture connection between wells is widely reported in the field with small well spacing.This will make it difficult to make formation evaluation and fracture characterization between wells compared to single well cases.In this paper,a novel production data analysis(PDA)method is proposed for fracture characterization with the consideration of interwell fracture connections after the hydraulic fracturing of the infill.The PDA method is based on a semianalytical model,in which the small-scaled fractures are treated with the concept of stimulated reservoir volume(SRV).Thus,the fracture connections between wells are classified into three types,including SRV,fractures,and both SRV and fractures.The physical model is discretized into several linear flow regions,so the mathematical model can be solved semianalytically.An integrated workflow is proposed to analyze the production data for the wellpad,and three steps are mainly included in the workflow,including PDA for the parent well before infill,PDA for the parent well after infill,and PDA for the infill well.In each step,the production performance in the early linear and bilinear flow regimes are analyzed with approximate solutions in the square and fourth root-of-time plots.Because only the relationship between unknown model parameters can be obtained with the approximate solutions,history matching to the production data in log-log plots is further used to determine each unknown parameter.The PDA method is benchmarked with a synthetic case generated by the numerical simulator tNavigator and a field case from Southwestern China.The results show that both good matches and precise parameters can be obtained with the proposed PDA method.The connected fracture number will not be sensitive in PDA when the wells are connected with high-conductive dSRV.The innovation of this paper is that a practical method is provided for PDA analysis of well groups with fracture connection,and it will be a good technique for fracture characterization and well-interference analysis for tight formations.

Laboratory insights into the effects of methane hydrate on the anisotropic joint elastic-electrical properties in fractured sandstones

Fractured hydrate-bearing reservoirs show significantly anisotropic geophysical properties. The joint application of seismic and electromagnetic explorations is expected to accurately assess hydrate resources in the fractured reservoirs. However, the anisotropic joint elastic-electrical properties in such reservoirs that are the key to the successful application of the joint explorations, remain poorly understood. To obtain such knowledge, we designed and implemented dedicated laboratory experiments to study the anisotropic joint elastic-electrical properties in fractured artificial silica sandstones (with fracture density of about 6.2%, porosity of approximately 25.7%, and mean grainsize of 0.089 mm) with evolving methane hydrate. The experimental results showed that the anisotropic compressional wave velocities respectively increased and decreased with the forming and dissociating hydrate, and the variation in the increasing trend and the decreasing extent of the velocity perpendicular to the fractures were more significant than that parallel to the fractures, respectively. The experimental results also showed that the overall decreasing trend of the electrical conductivity parallel to the fractures was steeper than that perpendicular to the fractures during hydrate formation, and the general variations of the two conductivities with complex trend were similar during hydrate dissociation. The variations in the elastic and electrical anisotropic parameters with forming and dissociating hydrate were also found to be distinct. Interpretation of the experimental results suggested that the hydrate binding to the grains evolved to bridge the surfaces of fractures when saturation exceeded 10% during hydrate formation, and the bridging hydrate gradually evolved to floating in fractures during dissociation. The experimental results further showed that the anisotropic velocities and electrical conductivities were correlated with approximately consistent trends of different slopes during hydrate formation, and the joint elastic-electrical anisotropic parameters exhibited a sharp peak at the hydrate saturation of about 10%. The results suggested that the anisotropic joint properties can be employed not only to accurately estimate hydrate saturation but also possibly to identify hydrate distribution in the fractures.

FRACTURE序列在中轴型脊柱关节炎骶髂关节结构性病变中的诊断价值

目的:评估限制回波间隔的快速梯度回波类CT成像(FRACTURE)序列在检测中轴型脊柱关节炎(SpA)骶髂关节结构病变中的诊断价值。方法:回顾性分析83例确诊中轴型SpA患者在2021年12月-2022年8月进行骶髂关节MRI和CT检查的影像资料。评估图像包括FRACTURE、T_(1)WI序列和CT平扫图像。对骶髂关节的影像图像进行结构性病变评分:关节间隙变化(0~5分)、骨质侵蚀(0~3分)和骨质硬化(0~2分)。根据修改后的纽约标准评分系统对骶髂关节炎进行综合评分。结果:总共有166个骶髂关节图像(83名受试者)可供分析。以CT图像作为参考标准,FRACTURE序列在关节间隙改变、骨质侵蚀、骨质硬化和骶髂关节炎综合评分与CT结果表现出较高的一致性,AUC分别为0.908、0.943、0.918和0.944。与T_(1)WI相比,FRACTURE在关节间隙变化(91.8%vs.70.5%)、骨质侵蚀(93.3%vs.56.4%)、骨质硬化(94%vs.77.6%)和骶髂关节炎综合评分(98.9%vs.75.3%)方面具有更高的诊断准确性。结论:FRACTURE成像可以评估中轴型SpA患者骶髂关节的结构性病变,并显示出良好的诊断性能。

Morphological evolution and flow conduction characteristics of fracture channels in fractured sandstone under cyclic loading and unloading

In coal mining,rock strata are fractured under cyclic loading and unloading to form fracture channels.Fracture channels are the main flow narrows for gas.Therefore,expounding the flow conductivity of fracture channels in rocks on fluids is significant for gas flow in rock strata.In this regard,graded incremental cyclic loading and unloading experiments were conducted on sandstones with different initial stress levels.Then,the three-dimensional models for fracture channels in sandstones were established.Finally,the fracture channel percentages were used to reflect the flow conductivity of fracture channels.The study revealed how the particle size distribution of fractured sandstone affects the formation and expansion of fracture channels.It was found that a smaller proportion of large blocks and a higher proportion of small blocks after sandstone fails contribute more to the formation of fracture channels.The proportion of fracture channels in fractured rock can indicate the flow conductivity of those channels.When the proportion of fracture channels varies gently,fluids flow evenly through those channels.However,if the proportion of fracture channels varies significantly,it can greatly affect the flow rate of fluids.The research results contribute to revealing the morphological evolution and flow conductivity of fracture channels in sandstone and then provide a theoretical basis for clarifying the gas flow pattern in the rock strata of coal mines.

Grouting theories and technologies for the reinforcement of fractured rocks surrounding deep roadways

Grouting is an effective method to improve the integrity and stability of fractured rocks that surround deep roadways.After years of research and practice,various theories and a complete set of grouting technologies for deep roadways with fractured rocks have been developed and are widely applied in Chinese coal mining production.This paper systematically summarizes and analyzes the research results concerning the theory,design,materials,processes,and equipment for the grouting and reinforcement of fractured rocks surrounding deep roadways.Specifically,in terms of grouting methods,pregrouting,groutingwhile-excavation,and postgrouting methods are explored;in terms of grouting theory,backfill grouting,compaction grouting,infiltration grouting,and fracture grouting theories are studied.In addition,this paper also studies grouting borehole arrangement,water-cement ratio,grouting pressure,grouting volume,grout diffusion radius,and other grouting parameters and their determination methods.On this basis,this paper explores the physical and mechanical properties of organic and organic-inorganic composite grouting materials,and assess grouting reinforcement quality testing methods and instruments.Taken as the field cases,the application of pregrouting in front of heading faces,groutingwhile-excavation,and postgrouting in the Kouzidong coal mine are then introduced,and the effects of the grouting reinforcements are evaluated.This paper proposes a development direction for grouting technology based on problems existing in the grouting reinforcement of fractured rocks surrounding deep roadways.

Complex fracture propagation model and plugging timing optimization for temporary plugging fracturing in naturally fractured shale

In this paper,a viscoelasticity-plastic damage constitutive equation for naturally fractured shale is deduced,coupling nonlinear tensile-shear mixed fracture mode.Dynamic perforation-erosion on fluid re-distribution among multi-clusters are considered as well.DFN-FEM(discrete fracture network combined with finite element method)was developed to simulate the multi-cluster complex fractures propagation within temporary plugging fracturing(TPF).Numerical results are matched with field injection and micro-seismic monitoring data.Based on geomechanical characteristics of Weiyuan deep shale gas reservoir in Sichuan Basin,SW China,a multi-cluster complex fractures propagation model is built for TPF.To study complex fractures propagation and the permeability-enhanced region evolution,intersecting and competition mechanisms between the fractures before and after TPF treatment are revealed.Simulation results show that:fracture from middle cluster is restricted by the fractures from side-clusters,and side-clusters plugging is benefit for multi fractures propagation in uniformity;optimized TPF timing should be delayed within a higher density or strike of natural fractures;Within a reservoir-featured natural fractures distribution,optimized TPF timing for most clustered method is 2/3 of total fluid injection time as the optimal plugging time under different clustering modes.

Efficient production optimization for naturally fractured reservoir using EDFM

Naturally fractured reservoirs make important contributions to global oil and gas reserves and production.The modeling and simulation of naturally fractured reservoirs are different from conventional reservoirs as the existence of natural fractures.To address the development optimization problem of naturally fractured reservoirs,we propose an optimization workflow by coupling the optimization methods with the embedded discrete fracture model(EDFM).Firstly,the effective and superior performance of the workflow is verified based on the conceptual model.The stochastic simplex approximate gradient(StoSAG)algorithm,the ensemble optimization(EnOpt)algorithm,and the particle swarm optimization(PSO)algorithm are implemented for the production optimization of naturally fractured reservoirs based on the improved versions of the Egg model and the PUNQ-S3 model.The results of the two cases demonstrate the effectiveness of this optimization workflow by finding the optimal well controls which yield the maximum net present value(NPV).Compared to the initial well control guess,the final NPV obtained from the production optimization of fractured reservoirs based on all three optimization algorithms is significantly enhanced.Compared with the optimization results of the PSO algorithm,StoSAG and EnOpt have significant advantages in terms of final NPV and computational efficiency.The results also show that fractures have a significant impact on reservoir production.The economic efficiency of fractured reservoir development can be significantly improved by the optimization workflow.

Multi-domain equivalent method for prediction of elastic modulus of complex fractured rock mass

Reliable estimation of deformation and failure behaviors of fractured rock mass is important for practical engineering design.This study proposes a multi-domain equivalent method for fracture network to estimate the deformation properties of complex fractured rock mass.It comprehends both the advantages of the discrete fracture network model and the equivalent continuum model to capture the features of discontinuities explicitly while reducing computational intensity.The complex fracture network is stochastically split into a number of subfracture networks according to the domain,length or angle.An analytical solution is derived to infer theoretically the relationship between the elastic moduli of the original complex fractured rock mass and the split subfractured rock masses by introducing a correction term based on the deformation superposition principle.Numerical simulations are conducted to determine the elastic moduli of split subfractured rock masses using universal distinct element code(UDEC),while the elastic modulus of the original model is estimated based on the currently proposed analytical relationship.The results show that the estimation accuracy with the current domainbased splitting model is far superior compared to those with the other two splitting models.Thus,the estimation method of elastic modulus of complex fractured rock mass based on domain splitting mode of fracture network is identified as the multi-domain equivalent method proposed in this paper.The reliability of this method is evaluated,and its high computational efficiency is demonstrated through exemplification with regard to different geometric configurations for stochastically artificial discrete fracture network.The proposed multi-domain equivalent method constructs the theoretical framework except for the regression analysis hypothesis compared to the density-reduced model equivalent method.

Simulation of the Production Performances of Horizontal Wells with a Fractured Shale Gas Reservoir

The production performances of a well with a shale gas reservoir displaying a complex fracture network are simulated.In particular,a micro-seismic cloud diagram is used to describe the fracture network,and accordingly,a production model is introduced based on a multi-scale flow mechanism.A finite volume method is then exploited for the integration of the model equations.The effects of apparent permeability,conductivity,Langmuir volume,and bottom hole pressure on gas well production are studied accordingly.The simulation results show that ignoring the micro-scale flow mechanism of the shale gas leads to underestimating the well gas production.It is shown that after ten years of production,the cumulative gas production difference between the two scenarios with and without considering the micro-scale flow mechanisms is 19.5%.The greater the fracture conductivity,the higher the initial gas production of the gas well and the cumulative gas production.The larger the Langmuir volume,the higher the gas production rate and the cumulative gas production.With the reduction of the bottom hole pressure,the cumulative gas production increases,but the growth rate gradually decreases.

Complication rates after direct anterior vs posterior approach for hip hemiarthroplasty in elderly individuals with femoral neck fractures

BACKGROUND Dislocation rates after hemiarthroplasty reportedly vary from 1%to 17%.This serious complication is associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates.Approaches to this surgery are still debated,with no consensus regarding the superiority of any single approach.AIM To compare early postoperative complications after implementing the direct anterior and posterior approaches(PL)for hip hemiarthroplasty after femoral neck fractures.METHODS This is a comparative,retrospective,single-center cohort study conducted at a university hospital.Between March 2008 and December 2018,273 patients(a total of 280 hips)underwent bipolar hemiarthroplasties(n=280)for displaced femoral neck fractures using either the PL(n=171)or the minimally invasive direct anterior approach(DAA)(n=109).The choice of approach was related to the surgeons’practices;the implant types were similar and unrelated to the approach.Dislocation rates and other complications were reviewed after a minimum followup of 6 mo.RESULTS Both treatment groups had similarly aged patients(mean age:82 years),sex ratios,patient body mass indexes,and patient comorbidities.Surgical data(surgery delay time,operative time,and blood loss volume)did not differ significantly between the groups.The 30 d mortality rate was higher in the PL group(9.9%)than in the DAA group(3.7%),but the difference was not statistically significant(P=0.052).Among the one-month survivors,a significantly higher rate of dislocation was observed in the PL group(14/154;9.1%)than in the DAA group(0/105;0%)(P=0.002).Of the 14 patients with dislocation,8 underwent revision surgery for recurrent instability(posterior group),and one of them had 2 additional procedures due to a deep infection.The rate of other complications(e.g.,perioperative and early postoperative periprosthetic fractures and infection-related complications)did not differ significantly between the groups.CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the DAA to bipolar hemiarthroplasty for patients with femoral neck fractures is associated with a lower dislocation rate(<1%)than the PL.