Numerical simulation of the pore pressure influence on the effective mechanical properties of rocks using CAE fidesys.

The article is devoted to the method of estimation of the effective mechanical properties of rocks by performing numerical calculations on the digital model of core. The digital model of core is constructed in the form of structured hexahedral grid based on CT scan data. In the representative volume element (RVE) of the core sample, a number of boundary value problems of the elasticity theory with various boundary conditions are solved. The pre-loading of the rock caused by pore pressure is also taken into account. The elasticity problems are solved numerically with the help of finite element method using CAE Fidesys. The results of the solution of each problem are averaged over the volume. Effective properties of core are estimated in the form of the generalized Hooke's law. The paper presents the results of calculations carried out at variable pressure for core made by one (sandstone) and several (pyrite, solid and solid calcite) minerals. It is shown that the dependence of the estimated elastic moduli on the pore pressure is linear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]