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True triaxial hydraulic fracturing test and numerical simulation of limestone

灰岩真三轴水力压裂试验和数值模拟

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Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing, as a key technology of deep energy exploitation, accelerates the rapid development of the modern petroleum industry. To study the mechanisms of hydraulic fracture propagation and rock failure mode of the vertical well hydraulic fracturing, the true triaxial hydraulic fracturing test and numerical simulation are carried out, and the influence of the principal stress difference, water injection displacement, perforation angle and natural fracture on fracture propagation is analyzed. The results show that the fracture propagation mode of limestone is mainly divided into two types: the single vertical fracture and the transverse-longitudinal crossed complex fracture. Under high displacement, the fracturing pressure is larger, and the secondary fracture is more likely to occur, while variable displacement loading is more likely to induce fracture network. Meanwhile, the amplitude of acoustic emission (AE) waveform of limestone during fracturing is between 0.01 and 0.02 mV, and the main frequency is maintained in the range of 230–300 kHz. When perforation angle θ=45°, it is easy to produce the T-type fracture that connects with the natural fracture, while X-type cracks are generated when 0=30°. The results can be used as a reference for further study on the mechanism of limestone hydraulic fracturing.

摘要

水力压裂作为深部能源开发的关键技术, 促进了现代石油工业的快速发展。为研究垂直井水力 压裂裂缝扩展机制和岩石破坏模式, 开展了真三轴水力压裂试验和数值模拟研究, 分析了主应力差、 注水排量、射孔角度和天然裂缝对水力裂缝扩展的影响。结果表明, 灰岩裂缝扩展模式主要分为两类: 单一垂直裂缝和纵横向交叉复杂裂缝。高排量下岩体的破裂压力更大, 且易诱发二次压裂; 而变排量 加载更容易诱发形成裂缝网络。同时, 灰岩在压裂过程中的声发射波形幅值在0.01~0.02 mV 范围内, 主频保持在230~300 kHz 范围内。当射孔角度θ=45°时, 易产生与天然裂缝交汇的“T”型水力裂缝, 而当θ=30°时, 易产生X 型裂缝。研究结果可为进一步研究灰岩水力压裂机理提供参考。

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Ji’nan, 250061, China

    Wei-min Yang  (杨为民), Yang Geng  (耿阳), Zong-qing Zhou  (周宗青) & Ruo-song Ding  (丁若松)

  2. Geotechnical and Structural Engineering Research Center, Shandong University, Ji’nan, 250061, China

    Wei-min Yang  (杨为民) & Zong-qing Zhou  (周宗青)

  3. School of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110006, China

    Lian-chong Li  (李连崇) & Ming-yang Zhai  (翟明洋)

  4. College of Civil Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China

    Zhong-hu Wu  (邬忠虎)

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  1. Wei-min Yang  (杨为民)
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Contributions

The overarching research goals were developed by YANG Wei-min, ZHOU Zong-qing. LI Lian-chong, DING Ruo-song, GENG Yang and ZHAI Ming-yang carried out true triaxial hydraulic fracturing test. YANG Wei-min, DING Ruo-song and ZHAI Ming-yang analyzed the test results. GENG Yang and WU Zhong-hu established a numerical model. ZHOU Zong-qing and GENG Yang analyzed the calculated results. The initial draft of the manuscript was written by ZHOU Zong-qing and GENG Yang. All authors replied to reviewers’ comments and revised the final version.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zong-qing Zhou  (周宗青).

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Conflict of interest

YANG Wei-min, GENG Yang, ZHOU Zong-qing, LI Lian-chong, DING Ruo-song, WU Zhong-hu, and ZHAI Ming-yang declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Foundation item: Projects(51879148, 51709159, 51911530214) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Project(2019GSF111030) supported by Shandong Provincial Key R&D Program of China; Project(KT201804) supported by the Project of Special Fund for Science and Technology of Water Resources Department of Guizhou Province, China

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Yang, Wm., Geng, Y., Zhou, Zq. et al. True triaxial hydraulic fracturing test and numerical simulation of limestone. J. Cent. South Univ. Technol. 27, 3025–3039 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-020-4526-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-020-4526-4

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