Solving Biot poroelasticity by coupling OPM Flow with the two-point stress approximation finite volume method

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel coupling of the TPSA finite volume method for elasticity with the OPM Flow simulator, enabling accurate and efficient simulation of coupled poroelastic systems with complex grids.

Contribution

It introduces a fixed stress coupling scheme for TPSA and flow, leveraging algebraic multi-grid preconditioners for improved simulation of Biot poroelasticity.

Findings

Coupling is handled at cell centers without interpolation.

The approach is flexible and applicable to complex grid systems.

Solid mechanics significantly influence flow behavior in simulations.

Abstract

Finite volume methods are prevalent in reservoir simulation due to their mass conservation properties and their ability to handle complex grids. However, a simple and consistent finite volume method for elasticity was unavailable until the recently developed two-point stress approximation finite volume method (TPSA). In this work, we show how to couple TPSA to an established flow simulator, using OPM Flow as our primary example. Due to this choice of numerical methods, the coupling is naturally handled at the cell centers, without requiring interpolation operators. We propose a fixed stress coupling scheme and reuse algebraic multi-grid preconditioners, which are known to be effective for two-point flux finite volume methods. Numerical examples illustrate the flexibility of the approach and we showcase how the introduction of solid mechanics impacts the behavior of compartmentalized flow systems.