Modelling of mixed-mechanism stimulation for the enhancement of geothermal reservoirs.

Hydraulic stimulation is a critical process for increasing the permeability of fractured geothermal reservoirs. This technique relies on coupled hydromechanical processes induced through pressurized fluid injection into the rock formation. The injection of fluids causes poromechanical stress changes that can lead to fracture slip and shear dilation, as well as tensile fracture opening and propagation, so-called mixed-mechanism stimulation.