Calculation of the Natural Fracture Distribution in a Buried Hill Reservoir Using the Continuum Damage Mechanics Method

Yunchao Jia, Xinpu Shen (), Peng Gao, Wenjun Huang and Jinwei Ren
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Yunchao Jia: Department of Development and Management, Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield Company, Puyang 457001, China
Xinpu Shen: College of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Changping, Beijing 266580, China
Peng Gao: Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield Company, Puyang 457001, China
Wenjun Huang: College of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Changping, Beijing 266580, China
Jinwei Ren: Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield Company, Puyang 457001, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-14

Abstract: Due to their low permeability, the location of natural fractures is key to the successful development of buried hill reservoirs. Due to the high degree of rock fragmentation and strong absorption of seismic waves at the top of buried hill formations, it is hard to identify the distribution of natural fractures inside a buried hill using conventional seismic methods. To overcome this difficulty, this study proposes a natural fracture identification technology for buried hill reservoirs that combines a continuum damage mechanics model with finite element numerical simulation. A 3D numerical solution workflow is established to determine the natural fracture distribution in target buried hill reservoirs. By constructing a geological model of a block, reconstructing the orogenic history, developing a 3D finite element model, and performing numerical simulations, the multi-stage orogenic processes experienced by buried hill reservoirs and the resultant natural fracture formation are replicated. This approach yields 3D numerical results of natural fracture distribution. Using the G-Block in the Zhongyuan Oilfield as a case study, the natural fracture distribution in a buried hill reservoir composed of mixed lithologies, including marble and Carboniferous formations, within the faulted G6-well group is analyzed. The results include plane views of the contour of damage variable SDEG, which represents the fracture distribution within the subsurface layer at 600 m intervals below the buried hill surface, as well as a vertical sectional view of the contour of SDEG’s distribution along specified well trajectories. By comparison with the results of the fracture distribution obtained with logging data, a consistency of 87.5% is achieved. This indicates the reliability of the numerical results for natural fractures obtained using the technology presented here.

Keywords: natural fractures; buried hill reservoirs; orogenic movements; continuum damage mechanics; numerical simulation; well logging interpretation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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