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The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database
AAPG Bulletin
Abstract
AAPG Bulletin, V.
2009. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.
DOI:10.1306/07270909041
Two-dimensional simulation of controls of
fracture
parameters on
fracture
connectivity




Kajari Ghosh,1 Shankar Mitra2
1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019; present address: ExxonMobil Development Company, Houston, Texas; kajari.ghosh@exxonmobil.com
2School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019; smitra@ou.edu
ABSTRACT
Two-dimensional fracture
simulation is conducted to analyze the controls of different
fracture
parameters (variations in
fracture
orientation, density, and length) on
fracture
network connectivity. Three different scenarios, which are commonly encountered in natural
fracture
systems, are analyzed: (1) a single
fracture
set; (2) two
fracture
sets, with one primary through going set; and (3) two
fracture
sets with approximately equal parameters. The modeling reveals that certain parameters are more dominant in controlling the connectivity for each of the settings. For a single set of fractures, increases in length and dispersion and a decrease in spacing all result in higher
fracture
-parallel connectivity, but the decrease in spacing is the most important in increasing
fracture
-normal connectivity, especially where the dispersion in
fracture
strike is very low. Simulations of two sets of fractures reveal that the density, length, and angle between the two sets are important factors in producing complete connectivity. In cases where one set of fractures is a systematic throughgoing set, a critical combination of length of the second set and the angle between the two sets results in complete connectivity. Where both sets of fractures have varying length and density, the influence of increasing density of one set has a great effect on connectivity when the other set is short and a more subtle to insignificant change when the other set is long. The network also shows higher connectivity with increasing angles (up to 90
) between the two sets.
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