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Development of a constitutive formulation for fractured porous media using a geoperidynamic fine scale model

The numerical simulation of fracture initiation and propagation in porous solids is a difficult problem due to a combination of requirements, such as appropriate crack propagation criterion or tracking fracture surfaces, along with an ability to reproduce the standard poroelastic response. The application of peridynamics to geomechanics (geoperidynamics) has many attractive features for studying such fracture problems. However, the length scale associated with the theory makes it unattractive for field scale simulation. In this talk we use a fine scale geoperidynamics model to simulate the activation of a pre-existing fracture network due to changes in the residual stress field, as observed in enhanced geothermal applications. We use the fine scale simulation to guide and support the proposal of constitutive equations intended to be applied in a field scale simulation via e.g. the finite element method.

Author(s):

John Edmiston    
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
United States

Jeffrey Johnson    
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
United States

Stefan Finsterle    
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
United States