Topological analysis of fracture networks integrated with flow simulation models for equivalent fracture permeability estimation

Abstract

Models that predict permeability by considering analogues of fractured media have been used to enhance the understanding of the relative contribution of fracture networks to reservoir quality. The analogue data can overcome scale limitations (sub-seismic to mm) and/or lack of consistency in subsurface datasets (e.g., seismic data, well logs, and cores). This paper presents a numerical tool (TopoScan), designed to process images of fractured systems based on topological methods to determine fracture attributes and automatically make these available for fracture modeling and numerical simulations. We use this program to carry out fracture modeling considering different topological patterns of two-dimensional synthetic fracture networks, with variable patterns of interconnection, aperture, and spatial organization. We used the finite element method for modeling the fracture system, with the incorporation of discontinuities for the representation of fractures in the medium. The models were used for numerical simulations of fluid flow (flow-based upscaling), and the results demonstrated that the influence of fractures interconnection degree (topological patterns) on the equivalent permeability of the fractured medium.