We develop a multiscale simulation strategy, namely, algebraic dynamic multilevel (ADM) method, for simulation of fluid flow and heat transfer in fractured geothermal reservoirs under varying thermodynamic conditions. Fractures with varying conductivities are modeled using the projection-based embedded discrete fracture model (pEDFM) in an explicit manner. The developed ADM method allows the fine-scale system to be mapped to a discrete domain with an adaptive grid resolution via the use of the restriction and prolongation operators. The developed framework is used a) to investigate the impacts of formulations with different primary variables on the simulation results, and b) to assess the performance of ADM in a high-enthalpy reservoir by comparing the simulation results against those obtained from fine-scale grids. Results show that the two formulations produce similar results in the case of single-phase flow, which indicates that the molar formulation is a favorable option that can be applied to varying thermodynamic conditions. Moreover, the ADM can provide accurate solutions with only a fraction of fine-scale grids, e.g., for the studied case, the maximum error is by average 1.3 with only 42% of active cells, thereby improving the computational efficiency. This is promising for applying the developed method to field-scale geothermal systems. @en

We present the projection-based embedded discrete fracture model (pEDFM) for hexahedral corner-point grid (CPG) geometries, for the simulation of hydrothermal processes in fractured porous media. Unlike the previously-developed pEDFM for structured box grids, our new development allows for the modeling of complex geometries defined with hexahedral CPG cells. It also advances the pEDFM method to include coupled flow and heat transfer systems. Mass and energy conservation equations are simulated in a fully-coupled manner using a fully-implicit (FIM) integration scheme. This allows for stable simulations, specially when large time steps are taken. Independent corner-point grids are imposed on the rock matrix and all fractures, with conductivities ranging from highly permeable to flow barriers. The connectivities between the non-neighboring grid cells are described such that a consistent discrete representation of the embedded fractures occurs within the corner-point grid geometry, specially as the quadrilateral interfaces are allowed to be fully flexible. Various numerical tests including geologically-relevant and real-field models, which are established in the literature, are conducted to demonstrate the applicability of the developed method. It is shown that pEDFM can accurately capture the physical influence of both highly conductive fractures and flow barriers on the flow and heat transfer fields in complex reservoir geometries. This development is promising for flow simulations of real-field geo-models, increasing the discretization flexibility and enhancing the computational performance for capturing explicit fractures accurately.@en

In various geo-engineering fields, accurate and scalable modeling of fluid and heat transport in the subsurface fractured porous media is important in order to fulfill scientific, economical and societal expectations on successful field development plans. Such models and the predictions they provide, contribute to efficient and safe operations on the production or storage facilities. However, while attempting to provide accurate results, a number of key challenges exist. Over the past decades, the scientific community have been developing various advanced numerical techniques to address these challenges. In this work, a number of scientific contributions have been made to help address specific challenges, by developing scalable numerical methods for fractured porous media, some with complex geometries. The primary aim of these methods is to provide computational efficiency while delivering accurate results on a desired level. Chapter 1 starts with background information on why these computer models are needed and the key challenges that exist along the way. Moreover, the contribution of the scientific community in various aspects are highlighted. In addition, the numerical methods developed in this work are briefly pointed out in this chapter. Chapter 2 covers the governing equations as well as the mathematical and physical relations for various flow models in great detail. These equations include capturing the effect of fractures and faults in the subsurface flowaswell. Chapter 3 attempts to provide detailed explanation of the discretized equations. The fine-scale simulation approaches as well as the coupling strategies for the governing equations are described. Moreover, the linearization of the non-linear equations is covered as well. Afterwards, the embedded discrete fracture models are thoroughly explained, where the effect of fractures on the patterns of flow are explicitly captured. In chapter 4, the mentioned fracture models are extended and applied to geologically relevant field-scale models. This is an important part of this work as the real field-scale geological formations cannot be represented by the Cartesian grid geometry (orthogonal box-shaped grids), but they are better represented by unstructured grids (such as corner-point grids). Using a number of numerical results, the capabilities of the developed model are showcased. It is also discussed how this model can offer great flexibility in the gridding strategies for field-scale models. In the above-mentioned chapters, the focus is on the fine-scale approaches in the numerical simulations. However, despite the technological advancements in computer hardware and high performance computation, the large size of the real field-scale domains, makes it impractical for the current computers to provide simulation results using fine-scale numerical methods. From this point onward, the focus shifts towards the multilevel multiscale methods. Chapter 5 covers the static multilevel multiscale methods for simulation of fluid flow in fractured domains, where the domain is subdivided in coarser grids across multiple levels of coarsening. With the help of the locally computed functions (also known as the basis functions), an approximated solution is obtained for the entire domain, reducing the size of the linear system of equations and providing computational efficiency. In chapter 6 and 7, the dynamic multilevel method is described in which different parts of the domain are treated and processed at different resolutions and coarsening levels. Due to different physical processes at various scales in the domain, while some parts of the domain can be treated on a lower resolution, certain regions need a higher resolution to capture the physics accurately, which can dynamically change across simulation time. The dynamic multilevel method uses fine-scale high resolution grids only when and where needed, providing a robust and efficient performance while keeping the accuracy at a desired level. Various numerical tests compare the results of the dynamic multilevel method against those of the fine-scale approach. It is shown that accurate results can be obtained while using only a fraction of the high resolution grids. For large-scale domains, such model can offer a significant reduction in the size of the linear systems, providing an optimal scalability. This dissertation is concluded in chapter 8 and references used in this work are followed afterwards. @en

An algebraic dynamic multilevel (ADM) method for fully-coupled simulation of flow and heat transport in heterogeneous fractured geothermal reservoirs is presented. Fractures are modeled explicitly using the projection-based embedded discrete method (pEDFM), which accurately represents fractures with generic conductivity values, from barriers to highly-conductive manifolds. A fully implicit scheme is used to obtain the coupled discrete system including mass and energy balance equations with two main unknowns (i.e., pressure and temperature) at fine-scale level. The ADM method is then developed to map the fine-scale discrete system to a dynamic multilevel coarse grid, independently for matrix and fractures. To obtain the ADM map, multilevel multiscale coarse grids are constructed for matrix as well as for each fracture at all coarsening levels. On this hierarchical nested grids, multilevel multiscale basis functions (for flow and heat) are solved locally at the beginning of the simulation. They are used during the ADM simulation to allow for accurate multilevel systems in presence of parameter heterogeneity. The resolution of ADM simulations is defined dynamically based on the solution gradient (i.e. front tracking technique) using a user-defined threshold. The ADM mapping occurs algebraically using the so-called ADM prolongation and restriction operators, for all unknowns. A variety of 2D and 3D fractured test cases with homogeneous and heterogeneous permeability maps are studied. It is shown that ADM is able to model the coupled mass-heat transport accurately by employing only a fraction of fine-scale grid cells. Therefore, it promises an efficient approach for simulation of large and real-field scale fractured geothermal reservoirs. All software developments of this paper is publicly available at https://gitlab.com/DARSim2simulator.@en

We develop projection-based embedded discrete fracture model (pEDFM) on corner-point grids (CPG) for fluid flow and heat transfer in subsurface geological formations. The coupling between the flow and heat transfer is fully-implicit, to allow for stable simulations, specially in presence of highly contrasting fractures. We define independent CPG-based mesh for matrix rock and all 3D fractures, which allows for capturing geologically complex geometries. The connectivities between the non-neighbouring cells are described such that a consistent discrete representation of the embedded fractures are developed within the CPG geometry. Numerical rests are developed first to verify the CPG grid implementation compared with the Cartesian structured ones, and then to illustrate the applicability of the pEDFM for field-scale geologically complex reservoirs.@en

Accurate simulation of multiphase flow in subsurface formations is challenging, as the formations span large length scales (km) with high-resolution heterogeneous properties. To deal with this challenge, different multiscale methods have been developed. Such methods construct coarse-scale systems, based on a given high-resolution fine-scale system. Furthermore, they are amenable to parallel computing and allow for a-posteriori error control. The multiscale methods differ from each other in the way the transition between the different scales is made. Multiscale (finite element and finite volume) methods compute local basis functions to map the solutions (e.g. pressure) between coarse and fine scales. Instead, homogenization methods solve local periodic problems to determine effective models and parameters (e.g. permeability) at a coarser scale. It is yet unknown how these two methods compare with each other, especially when applied to complex geological formations, with no clear scale separation in the property fields. This paper develops the first comparison benchmark study of these two methods and extends their applicability to fully implicit simulations using the algebraic dynamic multilevel (ADM) method. At each time step, on the given fine-scale mesh and based on an error analysis, the fully implicit system is solved on a dynamic multilevel grid. The entries of this system are obtained by using multiscale local basis functions (ADM-MS), and, respectively, by homogenization over local domains (ADM-HO). Both sets of local basis functions (ADM-MS) and local effective parameters (ADM-HO) are computed at the beginning of the simulation, with no further updates during the multiphase flow simulation. The two methods are extended and implemented in the same open-source DARSim2 simulator (https://gitlab.com/darsim2simulator), to provide fair quality comparisons. The results reveal insightful understanding of the two approaches, and qualitatively benchmark their performance. It is re-emphasized that the test cases considered here include permeability fields with no clear scale separation. The development of this paper sheds new lights on advanced multiscale methods for simulation of coupled processes in porous media.

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An algebraic dynamic multilevel (ADM) method for multiphase flow in heterogeneous fractured porous media using the projection-based embedded discrete fracture model (pEDFM) is presented. The fine-scale discrete system is obtained independently for matrix and each lower-dimensional fracture. On the finescale high resolution computational grids, an independent dynamic multilevel gird (i.e., ADM grid) is imposed. The fully implicit discrete system is mapped completely algebraically to this ADM grid resolution using sequences of restriction and prolongation operators. Multilevel multiscale basis functions are locally computed and employed to honor the heterogeneity contrasts of the fractured domain by interpolating the solution accurately. These basis functions are computed only at the beginning of the simulation to increase the computational efficiency. Once the ADM system is solved for all unknowns (i.e., pressure and saturation), the solution at ADM resolution is prolonged back to fine-scale resolution in order to obtain an approximated fine-scale solution. This dynamic multilevel system employs the fine-scale grid cells only at the sharp gradient of the solution (e.g., at the moving front). With two fractured test-cases (homogeneous and heterogeneous), the performance of ADM is assessed by comparing it to fine-scale results as reference solution. It will be shown that ADM is able to reduce the computational costs and provide efficiency while maintaining the desired accuracy.@en

A dynamic multilevel method for fully-coupled simulation of flow and heat transfer in heterogeneous and fractured geothermal reservoirs is presented (FG-ADM). The FG-ADM develops an advanced simulation method which maintains its efficiency when scaled up to field-scale applications, at the same time, it remains accurate in presence of complex fluid physics and heterogeneous rock properties. The embedded discrete fracture model is employed to accurately represent fractures without the necessity of unstructured complex grids. On the fine-scale system, FG-ADM introduces a multi-resolution nested dynamic grid, based on the dynamic time-dependent solution of the heat and mass transport equations. The fully-coupled implicit simulation strategy, in addition to the multilevel multiscale framework, makes FG-ADM to be stable and efficient in presence of strong flow-heat coupling terms. Furthermore, its finite-volume formulation preserves local conservation for both mass and heat fluxes. Multi-level local basis functions for pressure and temperature are introduced, in order to accurately represent the heterogeneous fractured rocks. These basis functions are constructed at the beginning of the simulation, and are reused during the entire dynamic time-dependent simulation. For several heterogeneous test cases with complex fracture networks we show that, by employing only a fraction of the fine-scale grid cells, FG-ADM can accurately represent the complex flow-heat solutions in the fractured subsurface formations.

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We present an algebraic dynamic multilevel method for multiphase flow in heterogeneous fractured porous media (F-ADM), where fractures are resolved at fine scale with an embedded discrete modelling approach. This fine-scale discrete system employs independent fine-scale computational grids for heterogeneous matrix and discrete fractures, which results in linear system sizes out of the scope of the classical simulation approaches. To reduce the computational costs, yet provide accurate solutions, on this highly resolved fine-scale mesh, F-ADM imposes independent dynamic multilevel coarse grids for both matrix and lower-dimensional discrete fractures. The fully-implicit discrete system is then mapped into this adaptive dynamic multilevel resolution for all unknowns (i.e., pressure and phase saturation). The dynamic resolution aims for resolving sharp fronts for the transport unknowns, thus constant interpolators are used to map the saturation from coarse to fine grids both in matrix and fractures. However, due to the global nature of the pressure unknowns, local multilevel basis functions for both matrix and fractures with flexible matrix-fracture coupling treatment are introduced for the pressure. The assembly of the full sets of basis functions allows for mapping the solutions up and down between any resolutions. Due to its adaptive multilevel resolution, F-ADM develops an automatic integrated framework to homogenise or explicitly represent a fracture network at a coarser level by selection of the multilevel coarse nodes in each sub-domain. Various test cases, including multiphase flow in 2D and 3D media, are studied, where only a fraction of the fine-scale grids is employed to obtain accurate nonlinear multiphase solutions. F-ADM casts a promising approach for large-scale simulation of multiphase flow in fractured media.

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Accurate numerical simulation of coupled fluid flow and heat transfer in heterogeneous geothermal reservoirs demand for high resolution computational grids. The resulting fine-scale discrete systems--though crucial for accurate predictions--are typically upscaled to lower resolution systems due to computational efficiency concerns. Therefore, advanced scalable methods which are efficient and accurate for real-field applications are more than ever on demand. To address this need, we present an algebraic dynamic multilevel method for flow and heat transfer in heterogeneous formations, which allows for different temperature values for fluid and rock. The fine-scale fully-implicit discrete system is mapped to a dynamic multilevel grid, the solution at which are connected through local basis functions. These dynamic grid cells are imposed such that the sub-domain of sharp gradients are resolved at fine-scale, while the rest of the domain remains at lower (coarser) resolutions. In order to guarantee the quality of the local (heat front) components, advanced multiscale basis functions are employed for global (fluid pressure and rock temperature) unknowns at coarser grids. Numerical test cases are presented for homogeneous and heterogeneous domains, where ADM employs only a small fraction of the finescale grids to find accurate complex nonlinear thermal flow solutions. As such, it develops a promising scalable framework for field-scale geothermal simulations.@en