Finite element analysis and approximate estimation of the cross coupling effect in fractured reservoirs

The influence of cross coupling terms in double
porosity models for fractured reservoirs has been studied in
this paper using numerical and perturbation methods.
Attention is focused on the influence of the cross coupling
coefficients on the transient solutions for the matrix and
fissure pressures. Numerical simulations show that the
addition of the cross coupling terms is equivalent to
reducing the compressibility of the matrix block. A simple
approximate solution is proposed for a quick estimation of
the significance of the cross coupling effect in reservoir
simulation, based on the solution of an uncoupled
model.