Comparison of deterministic with stochastic fracture models in water-flooding numerical simulations

Abstract

Determination of multiphase flow properties considering the variation of fracture patterns (i.e., number of fracture sets, their orientation, length distribution, spacing, and in-situ aperture) remains a key challenge in reservoirs. In reservoir engineering, one way is by studying outcrop analogs with comparable petrophysical properties and a similar geological history, and incorporating these data into model building, discretization, and numerical simulation. The limitation of directly incorporating attributes measured on outcrops is that this method is error prone because of postburial processes. Mineralized fracture (vein) attributes are good candidates to use as analogs for open fracture..