An extended finite element solution for hydraulic fracturing with thermo-hydro-elastic–plastic coupling

In this study, we present an efficient numerical solution for studying hydraulic fracturing under coupled thermal–hydraulic conditions in an elastic–plastic porous medium. The propagation of macroscopic fracture is described by using an extended finite element method. Both the fluid flow through the porous medium and the exchange between the medium and fracture are taken into account. It is the same for the heat transfer. An efficient iterative scheme is then proposed to deal with the coupling between material deformation with fracture growth, fluid flow and heat transfer. The proposed method is assessed through comparisons with analytical solutions for a number of well-established problems. A series of numerical calculations are further performed in order to investigate the effect of plastic deformation and temperature change on the process of hydraulic fracture propagation.