On the effective dynamic properties of inhomogeneous poroelastic medium

V.M. Levin & J.M. Alvarez-Tostado

Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Mexico, D.F., Mexico

ABSTRACT: An arbitrary anisotropic micro-inhomogeneous (composite) poroelastic medium, containing a

random set of ellipsoidal inclusions with different poroelastic characteristics, is considered. The properties of
these constituents are described by Biots linear poroelastic theory. One of the self-consistent schemes named
effective field method (EFM) is used to develop explicit expressions for the effective dynamic poroelastic
characteristics of such materials in the long-wave approximation. The obtained results are used for consideration
of the long-wave propagation in the poroelastic medium containing randomly distributed and aligned inclusions.

1 INTRODUCTION composite materials was developed by Kanaun (1982,

The poroelastic theory developed in the middle of last
century [Biot, 1941, 1962] found a wide application in
geomechanics for modeling of the static and dynamic
behavior of real rocks filled with fluids. Such geolog-
ical materials are often highly inhomogeneous, con-
taining regions with different poroelastic properties.
As a rule a microstructure of these materials is ran-
dom because of randomness of the shapes and sizes
of inhomogeneities as well as their distribution in
space. As result all physical fields that appear in such
a medium are random even in the case of determin-
istic external action. The main problem that arises
for such a medium is the theoretical determination
of its macroscopic (in large scale) behavior on
the base of appropriate and available microstructural
information. The usual approach for the solution of
this problem is based on the methods of microme-
chanics (see Markov, (2001)). The standard problem of
micromechanics is the estimation of the average values
(mathematical expectations) of the physical fields in
the medium with random microstructure under some
deterministic external action and relations between
them (homogenization problem).
The main difficulty in finding the solution of the
homogenization problem for a medium with random
microstructure is the necessity to take into account
the interaction between many randomly placed inho-
mogeneities. The exact solution of this problem is
impossible and only some approximate solutions are
available. In theoretical physics there is a group of
methods known as self-consistent methods that allow
constructing appropriate solution of the homogeniza-
tion problem. One of this methods named effective
field method (EFM) in application to the mechanics of
1983, Kanaun & Levin (1994), Markov (2001). The
aim of this work is to apply the EFM for the calculation
of the effective constants of inhomogeneous poroelas-
tic medium in the low-frequency approximation. Such
medium consists of poroelastic matrix, containing ran-
dom set of regions (inclusions) with other poroelastic
properties. For inclusions of the ellipsoidal form these
constants are calculated explicitly.The obtained results
are used for consideration of the long wave prop-
agation in poroelastic medium containing randomly
distributed spherical and align spheroidal inclusions.
2 THE POROELASTIC EQUATIONS OF
MOTION
The equations of motion of a homogeneous poroelastic
medium have the form
Here ij are the components of the total stresses, ui
are the displacement components of the solid, wi is
the average fluid displacement relative to the solid,
which is related to the absolute fluid displacement
Ui by wi = (Ui ui ), where is porosity, = f +
(1 )s , f , s are the densities of the fluid and solid,
mij are the components of the tensor introduced by
Biot, rij are the components of the tortuosity tensor, is
viscosity of the fluid and p is the pore pressure.To these
equations we have to add the constitutive relations

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Here = i wi , Cijkl (tensor of the frame elastic mod-
uli), ij and are the material constants of poro-elastic
medium.
3 INHOMOGENEOUS POROELASTIC
MEDIUM
Consider an homogeneous fluid-saturated porous
medium described by Eqs. (1)-(2) with characteris-
tics which we will denote by index 0 (C 0 , 0 , . . .).
This host material (matrix) contains a random set of
inhomogeneities (inclusions) of another porous mate-
rial described by the same equations but with different
coefficients (that will be denoted by the same let-
ters without any indices). We assume that poroelastic
inclusions have sizes large enough compared with
pores so it makes sense to speak about their poroelastic
constants.
If the shapes and sizes of inclusions as well as their
distribution in space of the matrix are random then the
characteristics C(x), (x), . . . for such a medium are
random functions of coordinates. All field variables
are also random functions even under deterministic
external actions and Eqs. (1), (2) take the form
In result of some homogenization procedure this
system of equations is transformed into
Here <> means the mathematical expectation of
random functions, C , , . . . are the effective (over-
all) characteristics of the inhomogeneous poroelastic
medium which are deterministic quantities. Gener-
ally these characteristics are functions of frequency. In
the low-frequency limit that will be considered below
all effective characteristics can be considered as con-
stants (i.e. independent of frequency). In this case the
quantities C , , and can be found from the occupied by the inclusions and inclusions have ellip-
solution of the equations which follow from (3) and
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Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK
(4) if we neglect all terms proportional to frequency
(quasi-static approximation)
and inertial characteristics in (7), (8) are found as
averages
Because we consider the composite poroelastic
medium containing the inhomogeneities of only one
kind (two-component poroelastic material) tensor
and scalar are no independent quantities. As was
shown in [Berryman & Milton, 1991, Norris, 1992,
Levin & Alvarez-Tostado, 2004], these characteristics
are interconnected with the tensor of the frame (or
unconfined) elastic moduli C by expressions
where it is denoted
Hence, the only unknown characteristics remain under
the accepted above assumptions are the tensors C and
. These quantities can be found with the help of some
homogenization procedure applied to the equations
Below it will be done by one of the self-consistent
scheme named effective field method (EFM). Note,
that the analogous approach to the problem was used
in a recent publication [Tod, 2004] for the dilute con-
centration of the inclusions. In there it was supposed
that not only the pressure but the pressure gradient is
the same in the inclusions and the matrix. Here the
pressure gradient in the inclusions may differ from
that of the matrix and has to be found during the
homogenization procedure.
4 TENSORS Cijkl AND ij DETERMINATION
The homogenization procedure named the effective
field method is based on the following main hypothe-
sis: every inclusion in composite poroelastic material
can be considered as isolated in the main material
(matrix). The fields of strain e and pressure gradi-
ent t that act on this inclusion (effective fields) are
composed of the external fields and disturbances
of the fields due to surrounding inclusions. Hence,
the many-particles problem is transformed into one-
particle one. It is assumed that the fields of strain e
and pressure gradient t are constant in each regions
soidal form. In this case the one-particle problem can
be solved explicitly and the expressions for the strain describe by two- rank tensor bij . This tensor determines
field and pressure gradient in arbitrary inclusion have the liner space transform, which transforms function
the form (x) into a spherically symmetric one

In this case P  and p are the tensors P(b) and p(b)

for the ellipsoid with semi-axes b1 , b2 , b3 .
The obtained formulas allow writing the explicit
expressions for the effective tensor of the frame elastic
Here P(x) and p(x) are the tensors coincided with ten- moduli C and permeability coefficients
sors P(ak ) and p(ak ) with constant components when
x is in Vk , where Vk is the region occupied by k-th
inclusion (ak is the set of parameters characterizing
the shape and orientation of the k-th ellipsoid). These
tensors are determined by the expressions
where the averages are on the random aspect ratios and
orientations of inclusions.
Let us consider some special cases.

5 SPHERICAL INCLUSIONS WITHIN AN

in which Gik (x) and g(x) are the Greens function of ISOTROPIC POROELASTIC MEDIUM
the equations of equilibrium and stationary diffusion
for the unbounded main medium with characteristics If the main medium (matrix) is isotropic, then
C 0 and 0 .
The effective fields are the main unknowns of the
problem. They can be expressed via the average fields
in the material under some assumption about the geo-
Let all inclusions be spherical and also isotropic with
metrical structure of the random set of inclusions. The
bulk and shear frame elastic moduli K and , tensor of
details of derivation can be seen in [Kanaun, 1983,
effective stress coefficient ij = ij and permeability
Kanaun & Levin, 1994], we represent here only the
tensor ij = ij . We suppose that any texture is absent
finite results
and therefore function (x) has spherical symmetry.
In this case tensors P and p are coincided with ten-
sors P  and p . These tensors are determined by the
expressions

Here c is the volume concentration of inclusions and

it is denoted

Tensors Aijkl and aij are also isotropic

Vi (x) is the characteristic function of the region Vi

occupied by the i-th inclusion and <|x> denotes
the ensemble mean under the condition that point x
belongs to the region occupied by all inclusions.
If the random set of inclusions possesses some The inhomogeneous poroelastic medium is in this
symmetry (in the statistical sense) it influences the case isotropic and equations of poroelasticity in x,
symmetry of function (x). In the case when this set -domain can be written in the form [Tod, 2004]
is statistically isotropic, function (x) is spherically
symmetric, i.e. (x) = (|x|).The inclination from the
isotropic properties of the random set of inclusions can
lied to the texture. In many cases such texture can be

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where it is denoted poroelastic matrix. If all inclusions have the same ori-
entations, the average operation is absent in (23). We
suppose that the material of all inclusions is isotropic
with the same poroelastic characteristics as above. If
we assume in addition that function (x) characteriz-
ing the shape of the correlation hole has the symmetry
of spheroid concentric with the each inclusion and hav-
ing the same aspect ratio, then tensors P  and p are
coincided with P and p. These tensors have hexagonal
(transversally isotropic) symmetry.
The expressions for tensors C and are simplified
considerably and take the forms

This composite porous medium is macroscopically

transversally isotropic and is characterized by five
independent elastic moduli

and two permeability coefficients

Let us consider as an example the plane longitudinal
wave propagation in the poroelastic medium. The wave
number of this wave q can be found from the solution These quantities are characterized by the follows
of the dispersion equation that follows from (26) explicit expressions

As it is well known two longitudinal waves can prop-

agate in the poroelastic medium: the wave of the first
kind (quick wave) and the second kind (slow, diffusive
wave). For the low frequency and additional condition
that << 1 the wave number of the quick wave q1
can be written in the form

where

is the effective velocity of this wave and is the

attenuation coefficient that is proportional to 2 and
is determined by the expression

6 ALIGNED SPHEROIDAL INCLUSIONS

Let us consider a set of spheroidal inhomogeneities

with equal aspect rations, embedded in isotropic

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Here it is denoted
Function g of spheroids aspect ratio is equal to
for the oblate spheroid ( = a/a3 > 1, where a and a3
are spheroid semi-axes) and
for the prolate spheroid ( = a/a3 < 1).
Tensor is also characterized by two components
which are determined by the expressions
where K, K0 are the volume frame elastic moduli of
the inclusions and the matrix. Scalar in this case is
determined by the expression
The other effective characteristics are determined by
the same formulas (28).
If in such a medium the plane waves propagate
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with wave number q and wave normal n, then
polarization vector Ui and scalar P satisfy to the system
of homogeneous algebraic equations
Here tensor  can be represented as
where is the angle between the vectors n and m that
is unit vector of the medium symmetry axes. Scalar
is determined by the expression
Let us suppose that vector Ui is normal to both vectors
n and m (shear wave). As it follows from (43), the wave
of pressure in this case is absent and the wave number
of the shear wave is determined by the equation
For the low-frequency limit with addition assumption
that
the solution of equation (46) takes the form
7 CONCLUSION
The explicit expressions for the tensor of effective
frame elastic moduli C and tensor of effective perme-
ability coefficients were obtained for a composite
poroelastic medium using one of the self-consistent
schemes named effective field method (EFM). For
two-components medium the expressions for the
effective stress coefficients and Biots constant
are interconnected with C by simple explicit formulae
that are analogue to Gassmanns relations. The effec-
tive field method gives an efficient way for calculating
the effective parameters of the dynamic poroelas-
tic theory equations in low-frequency approximation.
This method represents a promising methodology to
describe a fully coupled poroelastic model of rocks
with different kinds of porosities.
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