Publications Details
Exact analysis of a two-dimensional model for brine flow to a borehole in a disturbed rock zone
An exact two-dimensional solution is derived for determining the fluid flow rates into a borehole and to the surface from which the borehole was drilled. The solution is for a single fluid phase in a disturbed rock zone (DRZ) that surrounds the borehole with a radius specified to be either finite or infinite. The solution is restricted to constant homogeneous rock and fluid properties in the DRZ, and pressures in the borehole and at the surface of the drift that are maintained constant at ambient conditions. A major objective of the work is to provide a benchmark for more detailed numerical calculations that include variable physical properties and an arbitrary DRZ geometry. However in addition, this work extends previous exact solutions for one-dimensional flow by: (1) allowing for a DRZ of finite but arbitrary extent, (2) accounting for depressurization due to mining the drift before drilling the borehole, and (3) accounting for two-dimensional variations of the fluid pressure caused by simultaneous fluid flow to the drift and to the borehole.