Behavior of Viscoplastic Rocks near Fractures: Mathematical Modeling

Abstract

On the basis of the laws of conservation and the principles of thermodynamics, a mathematical model of the flow of a two-phase granular fluid is proposed. One of the phases is the viscoplastic granular Bingham fluid; the other phase is a viscous Newtonian fluid. The equations for flows in the Hele–Shaw cell are analyzed asymptotically, i.e., when the flat-channel width is much less than its length. The correlations between the phase flow rates and the pressure gradient leading to equations of filtration for a two-phase granular viscoplastic fluid are constructed. The criterion is found for the initiation of motion of a granular phase in a porous medium. It is established that, depending on the shear-yield stress, such a phase does not flow if either the pressure gradient or the channel thickness is small. The phase flow rates are analyzed numerically at various input parameters such as the phase viscosities, phase resistivities, ultimate shear stress, etc. The factors slowing down the penetrating motion of the solid phase into the porous medium are revealed.