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  4. FracMan

World Leaders in Fractured Rock Analysis, Technology and Consulting

For more than 30 years our expert staff of engineers and geologists have been providing state of the art consulting on fractured rock mass systems, providing solutions to oil and gas, mining, nuclear waste and infrastructure related problems.

 

The cornerstone of our expertise is the development of our own FracMan® code, the world’s first commercially available DFN software. With WSP and FracMan® this provides the most comprehensive suite of problem-solving workflows available. WSP and FracMan® are solving rock related problems around the globe.

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Software

WSP’s proprietary FracMan® software suite provides unrivaled power to solve practical geological and engineering related issues, in civils and infrastructure, mining, oil, gas, renewables, and the power and nuclear waste industries.

Our premier software gives users the ability to test conceptual understanding, determine the best strategies, and quantify risks and uncertainties associated with industrial development of resources.

FracMan® is the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to characterizing, analyzing and understanding fractured rock system. With advanced input/output integration to other geological, geomechanical and flow simulators, FracMan® has strong compatibility with most other products and tools employed in industry.

The FracMan® DFN software suite is made available to industry through Software sales, Consultancy services, Customized client developments and Performing joint industry projects.

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FracMan® provides everything you need to model the geotechnical response of fractured rock systems. 

Modeling is achieved by building three-dimensional (3-D) networks of both deterministically mapped larger structures and stochastically generated smaller fractures. 

This advanced software lets you calibrate your models against borehole information, underground scan lines, drift mapping, outcrops, and bench mapping to ensure a good match between field data and the model. Once developed, the models can be used for critical rock mechanics analyses, including: 

  • Fragmentation assessment 
  • Engineering optimization through kinematic stability 
  • Hybrid DFN-FEM finite element stress evaluation 
  • Upscaled properties input for other numerical models 
  • Mineral resource evaluation 
  • Hydrogelogical evaluation Rock slope and bench stability 
  • Rock fragmentation and block sizing 
  • Probabilistic engineering design 
  • In-situ stress evaluation  
  • Tunneling support requirements against block failure via bolting & shotcrete 
  • Aperture Controlled Grouting (ACG)  
  • Ground water inflow evaluationMonte Carlo simulation and risk/uncertainty assessment 
  • Tunnel water inflows   
  • Integration of borehole data, outcrop data, and photogrammetry data   
  • Fragmentation (block sizing) assessment 
  • Bench & slope optimization through kinematic stability evaluation  
  • Spill width evaluation  
  • Integrated DFN-FEM finite element stress solution  
  • Upscaled geomechanical properties input for other numerical modelling tools
  • Mining method simulation 
  • Subsidence evaluation  
  • Support system evaluation including rock bolting, shotcrete, and grouting   
  • Mineral resource evaluation
  • Hydrogeological evaluation for groundwater flow 
  • Bespoke mining techniques and approaches for in-situ leaching and lithium brine extraction   
  • Hydraulic fracturing rock mass preconditioning  

FracMan® also gives you the flexibility to build Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) models — ranging from simple volumes for data exploration, local-scale analysis or Synthetic Rock Mass (SRM) testing — to complex development-scale models.  

  

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FracMan® is the only Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) model that fully captures the anisotropy and connectivity of the fracture system, providing a clear advantage over conventional modeling approaches. 

FracMan® is a fully three-dimensional asset development tool, scalable to full-field applications. Its robust visual capabilities for reservoir analysis have set the standard in the market for more than 30 years, helping our clients cost-effectively enhance production in new and mature assets. 

Whether you’re involved in exploration, prospect appraisal, refracturing, full-field model development, or addressing specific local issues, FracMan® will help you integrate all of your geological, geophysical and reservoir data to help you make the best decisions for renewable and hydrocarbon reservoir development. 

FracMan® Reservoir Energy Edition software solutions integrates multiple data types into a comprehensive model that includes: 

  • Advanced data analysis 
  • Pore Pressure prediction  
  • 1D/3D MEM development  
  • Geologically realistic fracture DFN modeling 
  • Reservoir connectivity and compartmentalization assessment 
  • Support exploration and development well planning 
  • Integrated well test flow simulation for hydraulically calibration   
  • Integrated geomechanics simulations  
  • Dual porosity dual permeability descriptions   
  • Water cut analyses 
  • Fault reactivation evaluations (Slip, dilation, leakage) 
  • Upscaled flow and geomechanics simulation 
  • Hydraulic fracturing well stimulation techniques 
  • Evaluation of secondary recovery performance 
  • Simulation of coupled geothermal reservoir systems 
  • Simulation of supercritical CO2 reservoir storage  
  • Monte Carlo simulation and risk/uncertainty assessment 

Managing fractured oil and gas reservoirs can be problematic, as conventional modeling approaches that treat rock as a continuous porous medium often lead to incorrect conclusions. Long-term development decisions should be based on hard data and rigorous analysis — which is exactly what FracMan® provides! 

 

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Managing reservoir hydraulics, nuclear repository site characterisation, mining hydrogeology, contaminant hydrogeology, and water supply can be problematic – HydroBench is a powerful tool that help maximize understanding your well test data. 

HydroBench is a software package developed by WSP to analyse different types of hydrogeological tests using the most current methodologies and offers complete interpretation and analysis of transient hydraulic tests. HydroBench allows straightforward type curve analysis for constant rate and recovery tests, slug tests, pulse tests and constant head tests with emphasis on the diagnosis of flow processes. 

The program is intuitive and user friendly as it contains both advanced test analysis technology, but also includes less sophisticated analysis procedures for inexperienced users to get started. Both homogeneous and composite flow models may be used to interpret the data and the flow geometry may also be matched to infer the local connectivity of a fracture network. HydroBench also includes the derivative of pressure (rate of pressure change) with respect to the common logarithm of time that has shown to significantly improve the diagnostic and quantitative analysis of slug tests and constant-rate pumping tests. 

FracMan® HydroBench provides a thorough appraisal of the flow processes using high resolution tools while allowing the derivation of wellbore effects and undisturbed formation transmissivity. 

  

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FracMan® Nuclear Edition provides unmatched power for hydrogeologic analysis of fractured rock. 

It combines the power of realistic, detailed 3-D discrete fracture networks with flow and transport in discrete fracture networks including integrated rock matrix interaction.

FracMan® Nuclear Edition software integrates multiple data types into a comprehensive model that includes: 

  • Advanced data analysis 
  • Realistic fracture modelling 
  • Solute transport modelling 
  • Integrated DFN flow simulation for hydraulic calibration 
  • Upscaling for geocelular flow simulation 
  • Monte Carlo simulation and risk/uncertainty assessment 

 

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Faults and fractures, karsts and other solution features are the key to exploiting groundwater in many parts of the world. Research has shown that major groundwater supply wells are best when located such that they intersect two or more fracture zones simultaneously. 

FracMan® provides a powerful tool for understanding the spatial distribution of groundwater flow and storage, to develop and protect groundwater resources. 

FracMan® Hydro Edition software solutions integrates multiple data types into a comprehensive model that includes: 

  • Advanced data analysis 
  • Realistic fracture modelling 
  • Solute transport modelling 
  • Integrated DFN flow simulation for hydraulic calibration 
  • Upscaling for geocellular flow simulation 
  • Monte Carlo simulation and risk/uncertainty assessment 

  

FracMan® discrete fracture network (DFN) analysis approach provides a unique set of tools with potential benefits to oil, civil, mining, and environmental projects.  

WSP supports research and teaching of DFN approaches through partnerships with academic and research institutions worldwide.

WSP invites qualified academic and research institutions to join this effort through the FracMan® Academic Licensing Program. The FracMan® Academic Licensing Program provides free or reduced cost one-year FracMan® software licenses to academic institutions. Licenses are provided for non-commercial teaching and research projects where license fees would otherwise present an impediment to the use of DFN technologies. 

  

 

FracMan® software is designed to run on a variety of systems – from laptops to multi-processor workstations. It is available for: 

Operating System
Available for 64-bit Windows 10 or newer   

System Requirements 

  • A minimum of 8 GB of RAM (16 GB recommended) 
  • A minimum of 4 GB of free disk space 
  • OpenGL compatible graphics card (up-to-date drivers)   

FracMan® is available with multiple licensing options including i) standalone node locked), ii) floating USB, and iii) floating network options.  Floating network licenses are available in either site, region, or global configurations.  Cloud based versions of FracMan® softwares are also available for running via Microsoft Azure. 

  

Training

WSP has significant experience providing expert FracMan® training programs. All programs are designed to improve client productivity by giving users an understanding of the software’s development, its uses and how to apply it to their industry.

Understanding our clients’ needs and goals have been paramount in developing the software program to ensure maximum impact. Our training programs have been developed to provide different levels of education — from a basic understanding of the FracMan® suite of software — to industry-tailored applications that will help you to learn the essentials that apply specifically to your business.

Client-based training courses in FracMan® modeling are available! Find out how FracMan® can be applied to a wide range of industries throughout the world.

Watch the Fracture School Series

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