Numerical reconstruction of 3d pore structure and analysis of the mechanical properties of reservoir rocks

Date
2012
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
In a variety of engineering applications such as petroleum, mining, hydrogeology, tunnelling, metallurgy, geophysics, and contaminant cleanup, rock is the main concerned material which involves a large number of discontinuous, multiscale and geometry­irregular pores. These pores significantly affect the physical and mechanical properties of rock. Accurate prediction of the physical and mechanical properties of porous rock and the influences of pore structures has become a great concern to scientists and engineers. Numerical reconstruction modelling provides an effective and economic way for predicting the mechanical and physical properties of rock. In this study, the statistical reconstruction algorithms of three-dimensional (3D) pore structures of reservoir rocks with varied connectivity were developed based on the geometrical and statistical characteristics of pore space acquired from two-dimensional (2D) CT thin sections of rock samples. The statistical probability functions and Monte Carlo method were adopted to realize 3D reconstruction of lowly connected pore structures. In order to take into account the irregularity and connectedness of highly connected pore structures, a fractal correction function characterizing the clustering and self-similarity features of pore space was introduced into 3D reconstruction procedures. A so-called pore-developing algorithm was incorporated with simulated annealing method to improve reconstruction efficiency and accuracy. By means of 3D finite element modelling and laboratory experiments the author verified accuracy of the reconstruction models in predicting the mechanical and physical properties of rocks. Comparison indicates that there is good comparability in the geometrical, topological, statistical and mechanical features of pore structures between the reconstructed and the reference systems of rock. The proposed method significantly improved 3D reconstruction efficiency by saving much computation time as compared to the conventional method. The influences of pore structures on the static and dynamic mechanical properties of reservoir rocks were investigated by means of 3D numerical simulation and laboratory tests. The mechanisms of pore deformation and failure governing the macroscopic properties such as strength, fracture and energy dissipation of reservoir rocks subjected to static and dynamic loads were analyzed.
Description
Bibliography: p. 205-223
Some pages are in colour.
Includes copies of copyright permission. Original copies with original Partial Copyright Licence.
Keywords
Citation
Ju, Y. (2012). Numerical reconstruction of 3d pore structure and analysis of the mechanical properties of reservoir rocks (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/4710
Collections