Numerically Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Analyses of Ultra-Heavy Oil Reservoirs during the Micro-Fracturing Stage

Abstract

Water injection in SAGD well pairs has rapidly developed to improve the circulation preheating efficiency and the steam chamber propagation speed. However, a key problem is to evaluate the coupled thermo-geomechanical effects of water injection under complex operations. In this paper, a coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model considering skeleton shear dilation and phase change of bitumen was established. Major conclusions were drawn that there were large temperature changes only in two separate areas around wells. The pore pressures in the reservoir around wells and the base rock right below the production well increased significantly. The void ratio was improved in the reservoir around wells, especially in the inter-well region. The reservoir was lifted, and the largest uplift was right above the wells. This information can guide engineers in properly evaluating the field operations.