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Hydraulic Fracture Growth in a Layered Formation based on Fracturing Experiments and Discrete Element Modeling

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Abstract

Hydraulic fracture (HF) height containment tends to occur in layered formations, and it significantly influences the entire HF geometry or the stimulated reservoir volume. This study aims to explore the influence of preexisting bedding planes (BPs) on the HF height growth in layered formations. Laboratory fracturing experiments were performed to confirm the occurrence of HF height containment in natural shale that contains multiple weak and high-permeability BPs under triaxial stresses. Numerical simulations were then conducted to further illustrate the manner in which vertical stress, BP permeability, BP density(or spacing), pump rate, and fluid viscosity control HF height growth using a 3D discrete element method-based fracturing model. In this model, the rock matrix was considered transversely isotropic and multiple BPs can be explicitly represented. Experimental and numerical results show that the vertically growing HF tends to be limited by multi-high-permeability BPs, even under higher vertical stress. When the vertically growing HF intersects with the multi-high-permeability BPs, the injection pressure will be sharply reduced. If a low pumping rate or a low-viscosity fluid is used, the excess fracturing fluid leak-off into the BPs obviously decreases the rate of pressure build up, which will then limit the growth of HF. Otherwise, a higher pumping rate and/or a higher viscosity will reduce the leak-off time and fluid volume, but increase the injection pressure to drive the HF to grow and to penetrate through the BPs.

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Abbreviations

\(Q_{t}\) :

Pumping rate

\(\mu\) :

Fracturing fluid viscosity

\(E_{h}\), \(E_{v}\) :

Young’s moduli parallel and perpendicular to BP

\(\nu_{h}\), \(\nu_{v}\) :

Poisson’s ratios parallel and perpendicular to BP

\(T_{0h}\), \(T_{0v}\) :

Tensile strengths parallel and perpendicular to BP

\(S_{0h}\), \(S_{0v}\) :

Cohesions parallel and perpendicular to BP

\(\varphi_{0h}\), \(\varphi_{0v}\) :

Frictional angles parallel and perpendicular to BP

\(k_{v}\), \(k_{BP}\) :

Permeability perpendicular and parallel to BP

\(\sigma_{h\hbox{max} }\), \(\sigma_{h\hbox{min} }\) and \(\sigma_{v}\) :

Maximum, minimum horizontal and vertical in situ stresses

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Acknowledgements

This paper was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2015CB250903), the Major National Science and Technology Projects of China (No. 2016ZX05046004-002) and Science Foundation of China University of Petroleum, Beijing (No. ZX20160022).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resource and Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, 102249, China

    Zou Yushi, Ma Xinfang, Zhou Tong, Li Ning, Chen Ming, Li Sihai & Zhang Yinuo

  2. Texas A and M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Li Han

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  1. Zou Yushi
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  2. Ma Xinfang
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  3. Zhou Tong
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  4. Li Ning
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  7. Zhang Yinuo
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Correspondence to Zou Yushi.

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Yushi, Z., Xinfang, M., Tong, Z. et al. Hydraulic Fracture Growth in a Layered Formation based on Fracturing Experiments and Discrete Element Modeling. Rock Mech Rock Eng 50, 2381–2395 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-017-1241-z

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