A simulator for modeling coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in subsurface geological media

• Published in: International journal of rock mechanics and mining sciences (Oxford, England : 1997) England : 1997), 2014-09, Vol.70 (C), p.569-580
• Main Authors: Kelkar, S., Lewis, K., Karra, S., Zyvoloski, G., Rapaka, S., Viswanathan, H., Mishra, P.K., Chu, S., Coblentz, D., Pawar, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Buildings. Public works; Computation methods. Tables. Charts; Computer simulation; Coupled processes; Deserts; Exact sciences and technology; Failure; Finite element; Finite volume; Geotechnics; Jacobians; Joining; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Mechanical deformation; Shear; Soil mechanics. Rocks mechanics; Structural analysis. Stresses; Subsurface modeling; Thermal-hydro-mechanical
• ISSN: 1365-1609; 1873-4545
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrmms.2014.06.011

We present the description of a fully coupled simulator FEHM for modeling coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes in geomedia. The coupled equations for fluid flow and energy transport are implemented using finite volume whereas Galerkin finite element method is used for mechanical force balance. The simulator is designed to address spatial scales on the order of tens of centimeters to tens of kilometers, and time scales on the order of hours to tens of years. The governing coupled nonlinear equations are solved using a Newton–Rapshon scheme with analytically or numerically computed Jacobians. A suite of models is available for coupling flow and mechanical deformation via permeability–deformation relationships. The coupled simulator is verified by comparing with several analytical solutions developed for this purpose. A subset of the simulator capabilities is benchmarked against commercially available simulators. We also demonstrate a good match with data from Desert Peak geothermal field in Nevada, USA. This validation required the use of a shear failure model with non-linear permeability–stress relationship. In addition, we present another application involving fluid injection into an inclined fault zone using a non-orthogonal grid with stress-dependent Young׳s modulus and permeability. •Description of THM coupling in simulator FEHM is presented.•The simulator is verified against examples with analytical solutions.•A subset of the simulator capabilities is benchmarked against other commercially available codes.•A good comparison of FEHM results with field data from Desert Peak, NV is shown.•A large-scale example with an inclined fault that uses stress-dependent permeability and Young׳s modulus is presented.