TY - JOUR
T1 - Universal hydrofracturing algorithm for shear-thinning fluids
T2 - Particle velocity based simulation
AU - Perkowska, Monika
AU - Wrobel, Michal
AU - Mishuris, Gennady
N1 - This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2015.10.005
PY - 2016/1/1
Y1 - 2016/1/1
N2 - A universal particle velocity based algorithm for simulating hydraulic fractures, previously proposed for Newtonian fluids, is extended to the class of shear-thinning fluids. The scheme is not limited to any particular elasticity operator or crack propagation regime. The computations are based on two dependent variables: the crack opening and the reduced particle velocity. The application of the latter facilitates utilization of the local condition of Stefan type (speed equation) to trace the fracture front. The condition is given in a general explicit form which relates the crack propagation speed (and the crack length) to the solution tip asymptotics. The utilization of a modular structure, and the adaptive character of its basic blocks, result in a flexible numerical scheme. The computational accuracy of the proposed algorithm is validated against a number of analytical benchmark solutions.
AB - A universal particle velocity based algorithm for simulating hydraulic fractures, previously proposed for Newtonian fluids, is extended to the class of shear-thinning fluids. The scheme is not limited to any particular elasticity operator or crack propagation regime. The computations are based on two dependent variables: the crack opening and the reduced particle velocity. The application of the latter facilitates utilization of the local condition of Stefan type (speed equation) to trace the fracture front. The condition is given in a general explicit form which relates the crack propagation speed (and the crack length) to the solution tip asymptotics. The utilization of a modular structure, and the adaptive character of its basic blocks, result in a flexible numerical scheme. The computational accuracy of the proposed algorithm is validated against a number of analytical benchmark solutions.
KW - hydraulic fracture
KW - PKN and KGD models
KW - speed equation
KW - numerical simulations
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2160/42666
U2 - 10.1016/j.compgeo.2015.10.005
DO - 10.1016/j.compgeo.2015.10.005
M3 - Article
SN - 0266-352X
VL - 71
SP - 310
EP - 337
JO - Computers and Geotechnics
JF - Computers and Geotechnics
ER -