Prediction of mechanical properties of sedimentary rocks based on a grain to grain parametric cohesive contact model

A computer system comprises:

• one or more processor devices;
• memory coupled to the one or more processor devices;
• storage storing executable computer instructions for conducting a fluid simulation of a porous medium, the instructions to configure the one or more processors to:
• receive a micro-CT 3D image that captures a representative elemental volume of the porous medium, the porous medium defined as having mineral types and fluid types with individual grains and grain to grain contacts;
• label the micro-CT 3D image as individual voxels according to mineral and fluid types;
• label the mineral type voxels as belonging to separated and fixed individual grains;
• transform the labeled voxels into an unstructured conformal mesh representation for all grains;
• and
• apply the unstructured conformal mesh representation to a parametric cohesive contact engine, with the parametric cohesive contact engine executing a parametric cohesive contact model that has an adjustable parameter, a critical separation δ0 that is conditioned according to a consolidation level,
• wherein the critical separation δ0 is a length.

A computer program product tangibly stored on a computer readable non-transitory storage device that stores executable computer instructions to conduct a fluid simulation of a porous medium, the instructions for causing a computing system to:

• receive a micro-CT 3D image that captures a representative elemental volume of the porous medium, the porous medium defined as having mineral types and fluid types with individual grains and grain to grain contacts;
• label the micro-CT 3D image as individual voxels according to mineral and fluid types;
• label the mineral type voxels as belonging to separated and fixed individual grains;
• transform the labeled voxels into an unstructured conformal mesh representation for all grains;
• and
• apply the unstructured conformal mesh representation to a parametric cohesive contact engine, with the parametric cohesive contact engine executing a parametric cohesive contact model that has an adjustable parameter, a critical separation δ0 that is conditioned according to a consolidation level,
• wherein the critical separation δ0 is a length.