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Publication Date
5-6-2008
Publication Number
L09303
Abstract/ Summary
We present a fracture-mechanics-based formulation to investigate primary oil migration through the propagation of an array of periodic, parallel fractures in a sedimentary rock with elevated pore fluid pressure. The rock is assumed to be a linearly elastic medium. The fracture propagation and hence oil migration velocity are determined using a fracture mechanics criterion together with the lubrication theory of fluid mechanics. We find that fracture interactions have profound effects on the primary oil migration behavior. For a given fracture length, the mass flux of oil migration decreases dramatically with an increase in fracture density. The reduced oil flux is due to the decreased fracture propagation velocity as well as the narrowed fracture opening that result from the fracture interactions.
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Jin, ZH, and Johnson, SE, 2008, Primary Oil Migration Through Buoyancy-Driven Multiple Fracture Propagation: Oil Velocity and Flux: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 35, L09303. To view the published open abstract, go to
http://dx.doi.org and enter the DOI.
Version
publisher's version of the published document
Citation Information
Z.-H. Jin and Scott E. Johnson. "Primary Oil Migration Through Buoyancy-Driven Multiple Fracture Propagation: Oil Velocity and Flux"
Geophysical Research Letters Vol. 35 Iss. 9 (2008)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/scott_johnson/4/
