Simulating subterranean fracture propagation
US8898044B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 25, 2009 |
| Grant date | Nov 25, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 21, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01V2210/663
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
Systems, methods, and instructions encoded in a computer-readable medium can perform operations related to simulating subterranean fracture propagation. A subterranean formation model representing rock blocks of a subterranean formation is received. The subterranean formation model is used to predict a response of each rock block to one or more forces acting on the rock block during an injection treatment for the subterranean formation. The predicted responses of the rock blocks may include, for example, a fracture, a rotation, a displacement, a dilation of an existing fracture, and/or another type of response. In some implementations, an injection treatment may be designed for a subterranean formation based on the predicted response of the rock blocks.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.