#Flac3d examples code#
The TOUGH2 code solves coupled problems of nonisothermal, multiphase, multicomponent fluid flow in complex geological systems. The two codes-TOUGH2, a THC code, and FLAC3D, a THM code-are linked using sequential execution and data transfer through nonlinear coupling functions. In this article, as an alternative to developing a single coupled THMC code, two existing well-established codes, each specialized to a few of the above processes, are coupled to potentially cover all four processes (THMC). However, except for a few specialized simplified approaches, there is (to the authors’ knowledge) no single computer code that handles general coupled THMC processes-including multiphase and multicomponent fluid flow and reactive transport-in geological media.
#Flac3d examples simulator#
Therefore, a coupled THMC (including chemical processes) simulator is required for analysis of these problems of broad international interests. Mathematical modeling of CO 2 injection performance for reservoirs of all kinds must also consider cross-coupling of geochemistry, geomechanics, flow, and transport. Recently, underground storage of carbon dioxide (CO 2) into permeable aquifers, such as deep saline aquifers, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, and coal seams, has been suggested as an important potential method to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. A few of the most important include nuclear waste disposal in geological media, deep underground injection of hazardous waste, geothermal energy extraction, enhanced recovery from oil and gas reservoirs, and underground storage of natural gas.
The capability of a linked TOUGH-FLAC simulator is demonstrated on two complex coupled problems related to injection and storage of carbon dioxide in aquifers and to disposal of nuclear waste in unsaturated fractured porous media.Ĭoupled thermal–hydrologic–mechanical (THM) processes under multiphase flow conditions are prevalent in a number of geoscientific applications. In this study, the codes are sequentially executed and linked through external coupling modules: one that dictates changes in effective stress as a function of multi-phase pore pressure and thermal expansion, and one that corrects porosity, permeability, and capillary pressure for changes in stress. TOUGH2 is a well-established code for geohydrological analysis with multiphase, multicomponent fluid flow and heat transport, while FLAC3D is a widely used commercial code that is designed for rock and soil mechanics with thermomechanical and hydromechanical interactions. This paper presents the methodology in which two computer codes-TOUGH2 and FLAC3D-are linked and jointly executed for coupled thermal–hydrologic–mechanical (THM) analysis of multiphase fluid flow, heat transfer, and deformation in fractured and porous rock.