Thermo-Poroelastic Behavior Of A Confined Porous Layer Under A Combined Heat-Fluid Source

Coupled thermo-hydraulic-mechanical behavior of saturated porous media with low permeability is of crucial significance to operations such as thermal treatment for declogging wellbores and thermal fracturing during production of unconventional shale oil. This work presents coupled thermo-poroelastic solutions for an isotropic medium subjected to a constant fluid flux and a localized heat source, incorporating two novel components: (1) transient flow transfer between the source and the embedding layer; and (2) vertical confinement effects on the mechanical response of the target zone, governed by the stiffness of the sealing media using the Winkler model approximation. The Westerly Granite is selected to assess the thermo-poroelastic alterations induced under the imposed fluid flux and heat loads. Results reveal the thermal-fluid boundary condition to notably impact the response of the target zone. Stress path results near the source show the significance of incorporating vertical confinement when assessing the geomechanical response of the porous layer to fluid and heat sources.