Earth and Planetary Science

Computational Review for Fluid Flow - Heat Transfer in Stress Deformation in Porous/Fractured Media, THGMC

Teófilo-Salvador E.

UNAM

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36956/eps.v4i1.2089

Received: 30 April 2025; Published: 30 June 2025

---

Abstract

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) require identifying the mathematical formulations, mechanics, thermodynamics, hydraulics, geology and chemistry. The objective was to generate a review based on the recognition of codes, and software commonly used in coupled processes of fluid flow, heat transfer, and stress deformation. The main search criterion was that the codes and software were associated with the Hot Dry Rock (HDR). The literature describing closed-loop EGS injection-production and hydraulic fracturing was reviewed. The packages were grouped into two categories: those without guides or tutorials on mathematical formulations, and those with guides and formulations. The most important parameters required for simulations were identified. Simulative applications were investigated in case studies. Simulators have evolved over the years, improved, or been coupled with other codes to generate greater accuracy. Simulators require multiple parameters including porous/fractured media, heat flux, fluid flow, wellbore, and phase interactions. Despite scientific and technological advances, they are still based on the equations of continuity, energy, momentum, and transport. They use finite difference, finite element, finite volume, discrete methods, or fractional fractal methods, transforming them into complex nonlinear systems with coupled or hybrid solutions. Hydraulic leakage processes in the rock/fracture matrix, translational heat losses, and frictional effects of fluid flow on fractures or turbulence processes are not yet clearly understood in coupled simulators. There is no universally coupled simulator that depends on a single variable, giving rise to multicoupled systems such as Thermo-Hydro-Geo-Mechanical-Chemical (THGMC). It is advisable to review the available information to choose the appropriate computational package for HDR-based EGS studies.

Keywords: Coupled Systems, Nonlinear Systems, Complex Systems, Numerical Simulations

---

References