Geologic modeling framework

A system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a memory accessible to at least one of the one or more processors;
• and
• processor-executable instructions stored in the memory and executable to instruct the system to:
• generate an embedding mesh for a discontinuity, wherein generating the embedding mesh includes:
• discretizing the discontinuity into a two-dimensional mesh, wherein at least a portion of the discontinuity overlaps on the two-dimensional mesh;
• generating duplicate mesh elements of the two-dimensional mesh at overlapping geographic locations of the discontinuity, the duplicate mesh elements having a first side having first properties and a second side having second properties;
• and
• connecting the duplicate mesh elements by identifying continuity of the first properties or the second properties between the duplicate mesh elements;
• embed the discontinuity as an object in a three-dimensional hexahedral grid that comprises a plurality of hexahedral cells and represents a geologic environment by embedding the embedding mesh in the three-dimensional hexahedral grid, wherein the embedding mesh includes mesh elements that are smaller than a cross-sectional area of individual hexahedral cells of the plurality of hexahedral cells;
• cut a number of the plurality of hexahedral cells at the duplicate mesh elements by intersecting the object and the three-dimensional hexahedral grid to identify a plurality of cut cells, wherein the plurality of cut cells increase a quantity of the plurality of hexahedral cells by the number;
• construct a topological three-dimensional hexahedral grid using a topology for the plurality of cut cells that comprises spatially overlapping hexahedral cells of the plurality of hexahedral cells and associated cut cell-face links, wherein the associated cut cell-face links are linked using the duplicate mesh elements connected using the continuity of the first properties or the second properties, and wherein the plurality of cut cells occupy the same space as the spatially overlapping hexahedral cells and the associated cut cell face-links identify which faces are shared between the plurality of cut cells;
• and
• generate results that characterize the geologic environment with the discontinuity using a system of equations that represent the geologic environment and using the topological three-dimensional hexahedral grid.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising processor-executable instructions to instruct a computing system to:

• generate an embedding mesh for a discontinuity, wherein generating the embedding mesh includes:
• discretizing the discontinuity into a two-dimensional mesh, wherein at least a portion of the discontinuity overlaps on the two-dimensional mesh;
• generating duplicate mesh elements of the two-dimensional mesh at overlapping geographic locations of the discontinuity, the duplicate mesh elements having a first side having first properties and a second side having second properties;
• connecting the duplicate mesh elements by identifying continuity of the first properties or the second properties between the duplicate mesh elements;
• and
• where the discontinuity terminates, merging the duplicate mesh elements;
• embed the discontinuity as an object in a three-dimensional hexahedral grid that comprises a plurality of hexahedral cells and represents a geologic environment by embedding the embedding mesh in the three-dimensional hexahedral grid, wherein the embedding mesh includes mesh elements that are smaller than a cross-sectional area of individual hexahedral cells of the plurality of hexahedral cells;
• cut a number of the plurality of hexahedral cells at the duplicate mesh elements by intersecting the object and the three-dimensional hexahedral grid to identify a plurality of cut cells, wherein the plurality of cut cells increase a quantity of the plurality of hexahedral cells by the number;
• construct a topological three-dimensional hexahedral grid using a topology for the plurality of cut cells that comprises spatially overlapping hexahedral cells of the plurality of hexahedral cells and associated cut cell-face links, wherein the associated cut cell-face links are linked using the duplicate mesh elements connected using the continuity of the first properties or the second properties, and wherein the plurality of cut cells occupy the same space as the spatially overlapping hexahedral cells and the associated cut cell face-links identify which faces are shared between the plurality of cut cells;
• and
• generate results that characterize the geologic environment with the discontinuity using a system of equations that represent the geologic environment and using the topological three-dimensional hexahedral grid.