Numerical investigation of the temperature field in a reservoir with a hydraulic fracture

Abstract

The temperature distribution in a reservoir with a hydraulic fracture is studied by numerical modeling of transient temperature fields taking into account the Joule–Thomson effect and the adiabatic effect. It is shown that the presence of a hydraulic fracture in the reservoir leads to a nonmonotonic change in the reservoir temperature: as the well pressure decreases, the temperature first decreases due to the adiabatic expansion of the fluid and then increases due to the Joule–Thomson effect. As the water–oil displacement front approaches the wellbore, the temperature decreases slightly due to heat exchange in the fracture–reservoir system.