An improved pipe network model for simulation of fluid flow through discrete fracture networks

A common approach to modelling fluid flow through discrete fracture networks is to represent the fracture network by an equivalent pipe network model. The major advantage of this approach is its simplicity and computational efficiency, which enables it to deal with complex, reservoir-scale problems. However, the derived flow model depends primarily on the pipe network used and the construction of a representative pipe model is still a very challenging issue, particularly for large and complicated fracture networks. An iterative process was proposed recently to derive such a realistic pipe network model and the work reported in this paper is an extension of that approach with an improvement on how pipes are re-connected during the iteration process to better represent the reality of flow patterns. In particular, the source and sink traces on each fracture are re-evaluated using the boundary element method during each iteration step. As a case study, the proposed approach is applied to the flow analysis of the Habanero geothermal field in the Cooper Basin of South Australia.