Flow-coupled cohesive interface framework for simulating heterogeneous crack morphology and resolving numerical divergence in hydraulic fracture

A user-friendly and generic finite element framework for simulating hydraulic fracture with a complex crack network in unconventional oil and gas exploitation is developed in this work with the following unique features. While the cohesive zone model (CZM) removes crack singularities, its finite element simulations suffer numerical convergence problem during crack nucleation and growth, which can be regularized by a fictitious viscosity...