FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS


HIGGS-PALMER Technologies offers finite element mechanical analysis via the leading-edge capabilities of the software SAVFEM*. With an advanced rock plasticity constitutive model allowing strain localization, this large-strain nonlinear code can simulate brittle as well as ductile rock deformation, providing predictions of likely fault patterns or fracture geometry at all scales of investigation. Pore pressure and thermal loads are fully accounted for, and coupled analyses are also possible.




Finite element simulation of rock shear failure in a

triaxial compression test, and the resulting stress-

strain curve computed from the simulation

 



*SAVFEM is a proprietary software product licensed by          

 
 

EXAMPLES OF USE:

  1. Bullet  Predicting fracture permeability ahead of drilling

  2. Bullet  Assessing regional variations in subsurface stress

  3. Bullet  Predicting wellbore damage during depletion

  4. Bullet  Modeling hydraulic fracture geometry

  5. Bullet  Predicting structural style in folded/faulted rock