Discontinuum Modelling of Vuggy Carbonates
Date
Author
Institution
Degree Level
Degree
Department
Specialization
Supervisor / Co-Supervisor and Their Department(s)
Examining Committee Member(s) and Their Department(s)
Citation for Previous Publication
Link to Related Item
Abstract
The Grosmont Formation in Alberta is a heterogeneous carbonate reservoir of current interest for bitumen extraction, specifically within the vuggy porosity unit. The current research addresses the effects of vugs on the strength and stiffness of carbonate samples under uniaxial compression. Particle Flow Code 3D (PFC3D), a discontinuum modelling technique, is used to evaluate vuggy carbonate samples with different vug volumes, shapes, and locations. This thesis also presents a carbonate testing workflow, which combines computed tomography, laboratory testing, and PFC3D modelling. The workflow is evaluated with laboratory experiments on six vuggy carbonate samples from the Grosmont Formation. The workflow successfully generates samples with the correct vuggy geometry; yet the PFC3D simulations over-predict the laboratory results by 24 to 163% for the uniaxial compression strength. Future research on the calibration of PFC3D material for various scales is recommended to further the understanding of up-scaling carbonate properties for heterogeneous reservoirs.