A numerical procedure for simulation of hydraulically‐driven fracture propagation in poroelastic media

A procedure for numerical approximation to two‐dimensional, hydraulically‐driven fracture propagation in a poroelastic material is described. The method uses a partitioned solution procedurè to solve a finite element approximation to problems described by the theory of poroelasticity, in conjunction with a finite difference approximation for modelling fluid flow along the fracture. An equilibrium fracture model based on a generalized, Dugdale–Barenblatt concept is used to determine the fracture dimensions. An important feature is that the fracture length is a natural product of the solution algorithm. Two example problems verify the accuracy of the numerical procedure and a third example illustrates a fully‐coupled simulation of fracture propagation. Photographs taken from a high‐performance engineering workstation provide insight into the nature of the coupling among the physical phenomena.