A phase-field model for fluid driven cracks in porous media

Abstract eng:
Over the last two decades, the phase-field approach to fracture has been shown to be a useful tool for modeling complex crack evolution. This work demonstrates how phase-field methods can be applied to the problem of hydraulic fracture. The application of hydraulic fracturing involves the injection of fluid into a perforated wellbore with the intention of fracturing the surrounding reservoir and stimulating its overall production. This process involves the coupling of fluid flow with material failure. A continuum framework for fluid flow through a damaging porous medium able to represent the processes and interactions that occur during hydraulic fracturing will be presented. Several benchmark solutions will be discussed to verify the expected behavior and accuracy of the method and a few interesting problems will be presented in order to demonstrate the ability of the method to respond to various complexities.

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