THE PROBLEMS OF FLUID-SOLID COUPLING AND ITS ADVANCE IN RESEARCH

In traditional seepage theory it is assumed in general that the medium or the solid skeleton through which the fluids flow is perfectly rigid, that is, the solid frame containing the fluids does not deform either elastically or plastically due to the pressure of the incumbent fluid. The coupling between fluid flowing and porous media deforming is generally neglected in past and fluids flowing through porous media was studied as non-coupled problems. Although this simplified assumption gives results to a first approximation this does not conform to the field practice and there are problems, for example, in oil production from oil reservoirs can lead to decreases in the pore pressure. This depletion results in changes of the effective stresses acting in the reservoir and in the deformation of the reservoir. Recently, the important significance of the fluid-solid coupling in porous media is generally recognized. Due to the importance of the coupled problems, considerable effort has been devoted in many engineering applications such as geothermal energy production, underground waste disposal, and oil production. These applications in engineering, especially in oil reservoirs are first introduced systematically. To counter the oil and gas exploitation, the fundamental method and the advance in research of the fluid-solid coupling in oil reservoirs are reviewed, and the future applications of the theory of fluid-solid coupling are also proposed.