Modelling fluid flow in reservoirs crossed by multiscale fractures : a new approach

Some of the most productive oil and gas reservoirs are found in formations crossed by multiscale fractures/faults. Among them, conductive faults may closely control reservoir performance. However, their modelling encounters numerical and physical difficulties linked with (a) the necessity to keep an explicit representation of faults through small-size gridblocks, (b) the modelling of multiphase flow exchanges between the fault and the neighbouring medium, especially if the latter is fractured and modelled as a dual medium.