Coupling of Fluid Flow and Deformation in Underground Formations
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 128, Issue 7
Abstract
The extraction of fluids from deformable underground formations has resulted in surface subsidence above the formation in several field cases. This paper demonstrates the necessity of using the coupled Biot’s equations for deformation-flow problems in deformable fluid-saturated porous media, particularly for problems involving fluid extraction or injection in underground formations. It is shown that it is not possible to decouple the fluid flow and deformation fields from Biot’s theory except for idealized one-dimensional cases where the total stresses are constant and the deformation mode can be assumed. The deficiencies of the uncoupled approach are also shown via an analysis of a case involving production-induced subsidence in a hydrocarbon field. An important prediction of the coupled analysis is the increase of pore pressure above the initial value during continuous withdrawal of fluids from deformable formations.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 128 • Issue 7 • July 2002
Pages: 779 - 787
Copyright
Copyright © 2002 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 22, 2001
Accepted: Jan 11, 2002
Published online: Jun 14, 2002
Published in print: Jul 2002
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