A Three-Dimensional Hydro-mechanical Model for Simulation of Dilatancy Controlled Gas Flow in Anisotropic Claystone

Dilatancy controlled gas flow is characterized by a series of gas pressure-induced dilatant pathways in which the pathway aperture is a function of the effective stress within the solid matrix. In this paper, a three-dimensional hydro-mechanical model is presented to simulate the gas migration in initially saturated claystone with considerable anisotropy. The governing equations including mass conservation, momentum balance and energy conservation are presented for the unsaturated rock containing three phases, i.e., gas, water and solid grain. The constitutive model is proposed in which two conceptualized fracture sets with nonlinear mechanical behavior and cubic law controlled permeability are inserted, which have a direct effect on the hydro-mechanical behavior of the equivalent continuum. Finally, the developed model is validated against three gas injection tests on initially saturated Callovo–Oxfordian claystone. In general, the model is capable of capturing the main features of dilatancy controlled flow, i.e., anisotropic radial deformation, major gas breakthrough, and mechanical volume dilation of the sample. The proposed model offers additional insight into the relation between gas flow, solid matrix deformation and fracture opening/closure, which helps us get in-depth understanding of this gas transport mechanism.