Abstract
Geologic fractures such as joints and faults are central to many problems in energy geotechnics. Notable examples include hydraulic fracturing, injection-induced earthquakes, and geologic carbon storage. Nevertheless, our current capabilities for simulating the development and evolution of geologic fractures in these problems are still insufficient in terms of efficiency and accuracy. Recently, phase-field modeling has emerged as an efficient numerical method for fracture simulation which does not require any algorithm for tracking the geometry of fracture. However, existing phase-field models of fracture neglected two distinct characteristics of geologic fractures, namely, the pressure-dependence and frictional contact. To overcome these limitations, new phase-field models have been developed and described in this paper. The new phase-field models are demonstrably capable of simulating pressure-dependent, frictional fractures propagating in arbitrary directions, which is a notoriously challenging task.
Highlights
Geologic fractures such as joints and faults are central to a variety of problems in energy geotechnics
Much of the difficulty is attributed to the complex geometry of fracture, which demands sophisticated algorithms for its tracking
When the contact condition is found to be a slip condition, the slip-related components of the interface stress tensor are calculated according to a frictional contact law, while all the other stress components are made compatible with the stress tensor in the bulk region
Summary
Geologic fractures such as joints and faults are central to a variety of problems in energy geotechnics. Examples range from stimulation and operation of unconventional reservoirs and geothermal systems, to safe sequestration of CO2 and hazardous wastes into deep underground These problems commonly require engineers the ability to understand, predict, and manage the development of new fractures in geomaterials as well as the activation of existing fractures. The phase-field method allows one to simulate fracture propagation without explicit tracking their geometry, making it much easier to model complex fracturing processes such as kinking and branching than other types of numerical methods. Due to this appealing feature, phase-field modeling is increasingly used to simulate fractures in geomaterials. This section outlines the formulations of the phase-field models incorporating pressure-dependence and frictional contact
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