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Polyhedral Discretisation Methods for Geomechanical Simulation of Faults and Fractures in Poroelastic Media

Project description

Assessing risks related to human geological activities

Accurate numerical simulations can be used to predict the effects of soil exploitation and are essential to successfully assess subsurface activities. The prevention of environmental damage hinges on this assessment of geological processes. The EU-funded PDGeoFF project will develop a mathematical and numerical framework to evaluate and prevent risks related to several human geological activities like geothermal energy production and CO2 capture and storage. The research will focus on the polyhedral discretisation methods for simulating fault mechanics and fracture propagation in poroelastic media. It will target the investigation of the models describing fault mechanics and the interaction between propagating fractures and fluid flow.

Objective

Understanding subsurface geological processes is crucial for the prevention of environmental damage and the development of renewable alternatives for energy generation. The key for the successful assessment of subsurface activities is the ability to perform accurate numerical simulations able to predict the effects of soil exploitation. Envisioned research activities will focus on the design and analysis of advanced nonconforming polyhedral discretisation methods for simulating fault mechanics and fracture propagation in poroelastic media. The main goal is to provide an efficient mathematical and numerical framework to evaluate and prevent risks related to several human geological activities. In this project, we aim at developing and analysing new nonconforming polyhedral finite element methods able to tame the mathematical and numerical challenges that have to be accounted for in geomechanical modelling: the geometric complexity arising from the presence of various layers and fractures, the strong coupling between the flow and the mechanics, and the possible rough variations of the physical parameters. In this context, for inner interface and moving discontinuities problems, such as fault slip and fracture growth, the versatility of polyhedral finite element methods allows to successfully tame the geometric complexity as well as facilitate mesh adaptivity and provide a greater robustness with respect to mesh distortions. The research will target the investigation of the models describing fault mechanics and the interaction between propagating fractures and fluid flow. The computational performance of the proposed discretisation schemes will be assessed on a complete panel of realistic test cases.

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019

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Coordinator

POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 171 473,28
Address
PIAZZA LEONARDO DA VINCI 32
20133 Milano
Italy

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Region
Nord-Ovest Lombardia Milano
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 171 473,28
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