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Effects of Active Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid on the Fracture Propagation and Structural Damage of Coal: Phenomena and Mechanisms

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Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing is a common means of reservoir reconstruction in coalbed methane (CBM) wells, but fracturing fluid affects the mechanical properties of weak water-bearing coal seams. To explore the effects of active hydraulic fracturing fluid on coal structural damage, uniaxial compression tests of coal under different fracturing fluid saturations were carried out. Combined with elastic damage mechanics and energy theory, a damage constitutive model of coal under the coupling action of fracturing fluid-stress-strain energy is established, and the rationality and innovation of the model are evaluated. The results show that although micro-cracks have developed in the No. 3 coal seam of the Danshuo Coal Mine, most of them are filled with minerals such as calcite, resulting in poor connectivity between the fractures. The injection of fracturing fluid reduces the cementation strength of the filling body, the bonding force between the coal matrix and the overall mechanical properties of the coal samples. With increase in fracturing fluid saturation and micro-fracture activation, the coal sample brittleness weakens, the compressive strength and elastic modulus decrease linearly, and the shape of the post-peak curve tends to be complex, showing ductile failure characteristics. The principal stress determines the macroscopic fracture direction, the micro-fracture extends along the boundary of calcite–vitrinite and vitrinite–inertinite, and the fracture complexity of inertinite is lower than that of vitrinite. The uniaxial compression damage constitutive model of coal samples containing fracturing fluid based on strain energy and elastic damage mechanics is in good agreement with the experimental data. The model curve is determined by the measured mechanical parameters and the damage constitutive coefficient (n). This can reflect the coal damage constitutive relationship under the coupling action of fracturing fluid-stress-strain energy and is suitable for analyzing the stress-strain problem of coal with fracturing fluid under uniaxial compression.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41872170, 42130802), a Project Funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Qian Science Cooperation Project of Prospecting Strategy ([2022]ZD001–001, [2022]ZD001–003), Key Laboratory of Coalbed Methane Resources and Reservoir Formation Process of the Ministry of Education (China University of Mining and Technology) (No. 2022–009), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2023XSCX002), the Graduate Innovation Program of China University of Mining and Technology (2023WLKXJ002), and the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Coalbed Methane Resources and Reservoir Formation Process, Ministry of Education, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221008, Jiangsu, China

    Xiaojie Fang, Caifang Wu, Bin Gao, Dan Zhou, Xiuming Jiang & Ningning Liu

  2. School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu, China

    Xiaojie Fang, Caifang Wu, Bin Gao, Dan Zhou, Xiuming Jiang & Ningning Liu

  3. College of Safety Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454000, Henan, China

    Shasha Zhang

  4. School of Resources and Environment, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454000, Henan, China

    Dan Zhou

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  1. Xiaojie Fang
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Correspondence to Caifang Wu.

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Fang, X., Wu, C., Gao, B. et al. Effects of Active Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid on the Fracture Propagation and Structural Damage of Coal: Phenomena and Mechanisms. Nat Resour Res 32, 1761–1775 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-023-10209-0

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