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Effect of rock anisotropy on initiation and propagation of fractures due to fluid pressurization

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Abstract

The objective of this paper is to study the effect of rock anisotropy on the initiation and propagation of fracture driven by fluid. For this purpose, an improved hydromechanical model considering rock structural anisotropy is established in the framework of the particle flow simulation by assuming that the anisotropic rocks are characterized by a matrix phase with non-persistent weak layers embedded. In this model, the mechanical behavior of rock matrix is described by bond contact while that of weak layers by smooth joint contact, and the fluid flow is reproduced through a new aperture evolution model of pipes redefined according to contact types and orientations. After the calibration of model’s parameters, the effectiveness of proposed model is assessed with the help of a typical case of fluid driven fracture around a borehole. The proposed model can successfully describe the local stress anisotropy and fracture reoriented propagation around borehole due to fluid injection. Some additional numerical simulations with different confining stress are also conducted for the typical case. Moreover, a series of sensitive analysis is further realized to investigate effects of inherent rock anisotropy including elastic, strength and permeability on the initiation and propagation of fractures.

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Acknowledgments

This study has been jointly supported by the State Key RD Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFC1501100), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2019TQ0080, Grant No. 2020M671320), and the Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education on Safe Mining of Deep Metal Mines (Grant No. DM2019K02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Geomechanics and Embankment Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Yulong Zhang, Jianfu Shao, Shu Zhu & Chong Shi

  2. CNRS, Centrale Lille, UMR9013, LaMcube, University Lille, 59000, Lille, France

    Jianfu Shao

  3. Key Laborato of Ministry of Education on Safe Mining of Deep Metal Mines, College of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China

    Zaobao Liu

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  1. Yulong Zhang
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  2. Jianfu Shao
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  3. Shu Zhu
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Correspondence to Jianfu Shao.

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Zhang, Y., Shao, J., Zhu, S. et al. Effect of rock anisotropy on initiation and propagation of fractures due to fluid pressurization. Acta Geotech. 18, 2039–2058 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-022-01703-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-022-01703-5

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