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On the connection between tectonic stresses and well fracturing data

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Summary

Theories of hydraulic fracturing of wells are usually based upon a model of a well in which the latter is assumed to be equivalent to an infinitely long cylinder. In this fashion, the stress state induced by the pressure in the well turns out to be two-dimensional. This is certainly an oversimplification, and therefore a different model is proposed in the present paper. In this, we assume that the pressure in the well is equivalent to a spherical pressure center. The fracture condition is formulated and the model is applied to the calculation of underground stresses from well data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. c/o Imperial Oil Research Laboratory, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    A. E. Scheidegger

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  1. A. E. Scheidegger
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Scheidegger, A.E. On the connection between tectonic stresses and well fracturing data. Geofisica Pura e Applicata 46, 66–76 (1960). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02001098

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02001098

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