Modeling Coupled Hydro-Mechanical Processes During Hydraulic Stimulation at the Bedretto Underground Laboratory
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2024-06
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Conference Paper
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Abstract
In the framework of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), hydraulic stimulations play an important role in increasing the permeability of the host rock, facilitating more efficient heat extraction. However, these stimulations unavoidably induce reactivation of faults and earthquakes. The induced seismicity serves as proxy for the enhanced fracture network's spatial extent, but at the same time could pose a risk to nearby populations if the earthquakes' magnitude is large. To address this challenge, understanding the coupled physical processes generating fault reactivation and seismicity is crucial, and the development of forecasting tools could help mitigating the risk. Numerous numerical simulators capable of modeling complex coupled processes exist, yet their computational demands hinder their application in real-time induced seismicity forecasting. In this work, we present the development of two distinct categories of models: the first category encompasses a simplified hybrid hydromechanical model tailored for real-time applications, while the second category comprises a more detailed 3D numerical model designed to advance the fundamental understanding of the physical processes at play. By applying these models to reproduce a hydraulic stimulation at the Bedretto Underground Laboratory, we demonstrate that we can simulate first-order observations (e.g. pressure changes, seismicity rate, strain) without introducing excessive complexity.
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58th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium
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American Rock Mechanics Association
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58th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium (ARMA 2024)
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03953 - Robertsson, Johan / Robertsson, Johan
02818 - Schweiz. Erdbebendienst (SED) / Swiss Seismological Service (SED)