Numerical Modeling of Thermal-Mechanical Interaction Process in High Power Electromagnetic Heating of Rocks

Abstract

Abstract Perforation is an essential method to improve hydrocarbon flow from the reservoir into production wells. However, conventional methods to create it cause plastic compaction, lead to loss of permeability in the surrounding rock, and reduce the hydraulic conductivity of the immediate formation. One of few tested and feasible alterantives to conventional perforation is to use high-power electromagnetic (HPEM) sources to induce a phase change in the formation via dielectric heating. Over the course of the last decade, subsurface photonic technologies have been proven to perforate, fracture, and drill multiple rock types in the laboratory. Furthermore, it has been shown to improve conductivity and reduce general damage to the rock formation. These outstanding experiments purveyed an excellent understanding of the physical dynamics that guide the interaction between the HPEM sources and the rock. Cocerning modeling, several models have been proposed to simulate the the thermal-mechanical interaction and phase change. Yet, due to the innate sophistication of the problem, a comprehensive model remains a topic of research. Recently, we possited a numerical workflow that bridges these gaps and predicts the perforation geometry and mechanical impact departing from the electromagnetic field parameters, the rock properties, and the stress configuration. In this paper, the method is expanded to encompass a set of numerical thermo-mechanical coupling models to investigate the effects of heterogeneous material properties and stress ratio on the perforating rate and mechanical damage in the HPEM-enabled perforation process.