Abstract
At great depths, where borehole-based field stress measurements such as hydraulic fracturing are challenging due to difficult downhole conditions or prohibitive costs, in situ stresses can be indirectly estimated using wellbore failures such as borehole breakouts and/or drilling-induced tensile failures detected by an image log. As part of such efforts, a statistical method has been developed in which borehole breakouts detected on an image log are used for this purpose (Song et al. in Proceedings on the 7th international symposium on in situ rock stress, 2016; Song and Chang in J Geophys Res Solid Earth 122:4033–4052, 2017). The method employs a grid-searching algorithm in which the least and maximum horizontal principal stresses (S h and S H) are varied, and the corresponding simulated depth-related breakout width distribution as a function of the breakout angle (θ B = 90° − half of breakout width) is compared to that observed along the borehole to determine a set of S h and S H having the lowest misfit between them. An important advantage of the method is that S h and S H can be estimated simultaneously in vertical wells. To validate the statistical approach, the method is applied to a vertical hole where a set of field hydraulic fracturing tests have been carried out. The stress estimations using the proposed method were found to be in good agreement with the results interpreted from the hydraulic fracturing test measurements.
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Notes
The upper limit of the mud weight window in this context is referred to as the fracture initiation pressure.
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Acknowledgements
This research was partially supported by the Basic Research Project of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) and by the project titled “International Ocean Discovery Program (K-IODP)” funded by the Ministry of Oceans Fisheries, Korea. We appreciate the comments and suggestions provided by the anonymous reviewers and the Co-Editor of the journal.
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Lee, H., Ong, S.H. Estimation of In Situ Stresses with Hydro-Fracturing Tests and a Statistical Method. Rock Mech Rock Eng 51, 779–799 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-017-1349-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-017-1349-1