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Measurement and Analysis of Full-Scale Hydraulic Fracture Initiation and Reorientation

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Abstract

Hydraulic fracture breakdown and reorientation data collected from two instrumented test borehole sites have been analyzed to assess the effect of the initiation type (axial or transverse) on the treating pressure. Vertical boreholes were drilled and fractures were placed in a conglomerate at depths of 140–180 m in a far-field stress field that favored horizontal fracture growth. Axial initiation resulted in high injection pressure, which was attributed to near-borehole tortuosity generated as the hydraulic fracture reoriented to align with the far-field stresses. Acoustic scanner logging of the boreholes after fracturing demonstrated that, in many cases, axial initiation occurred and when this was the case, treating pressures were high and consistent with near-borehole tortuous fracture paths. A fracture initiation analysis determined that initiation at abrasively cut circumferential slots should occur before axial initiation. Slots were cut to locate the initiation sites and to make transverse fracture initiation more likely. Transverse initiation from the vertical boreholes at pre-cut slots lowered the injection pressures during the fracture treatment by up to 12 MPa for water injected at approximately 500 L per minute.

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Abbreviations

a :

Borehole radius

A:

Dimensionless borehole radius

D:

Dimensionless far-field deviatoric stress

M:

Dimensionless fluid viscosity

γ o :

Dimensionless flaw size in rock

K Ic :

Rock fracture toughness

E :

Rock Young’s modulus

ν :

Rock Poisson’s ratio

η :

Poroelastic parameter

Q 0 :

Injection rate range during initiation and breakdown

C f :

Compressibility of water

V o :

Volume of injection system calculated from depth and length of injection line

T :

Tensile strength of rock for axial initiation

P r :

Pore pressure in rock

P f :

Fracture initiation pressure

σ c :

Rock uniaxial compressive strength

σ θ :

Tangential stress (near a borehole)

σ x :

Principal stress in the x coordinate direction

σ y :

Principal stress in the y coordinate direction

σ z :

Stress in z coordinate direction

σ slot z :

Stress concentration a slot tip acting in z coordinate direction

σ H , σ h1 :

Maximum horizontal stress

σ h , σ h2 :

Minimum horizontal stress

μ:

Fluid dynamic viscosity

λ o :

The flaw size present in the rock from which a hydraulic fracture initiates, \(\lambda_{o} \approx \left( {\frac{{K_{\text{Ic}} }}{T}} \right)^{2}\)

χ F :

Dimensionless parameter whose value determines curving of a hydraulic fracture growing from a borehole, \(\chi_{F} = \frac{{(\sigma_{H} - \sigma_{h} )\sqrt a }}{{(12\mu Q_{0} E^{{{\prime }3}} )^{1/4} }}\)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SCT Operations Pty. Ltd., PO Box 824, Wollongong, NSW, 2520, Australia

    R. G. Jeffrey & K. W. Mills

  2. CSIRO Energy, Private bag 10, Clayton South, VIC, 3169, Australia

    Z. R. Chen & X. Zhang

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 710 Benedum Hall, 3700 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA

    A. P. Bunger

  4. Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 710 Benedum Hall, 3700 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA

    A. P. Bunger

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  1. R. G. Jeffrey
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  2. Z. R. Chen
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  3. X. Zhang
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  4. A. P. Bunger
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  5. K. W. Mills
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Correspondence to R. G. Jeffrey.

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Jeffrey, R.G., Chen, Z.R., Zhang, X. et al. Measurement and Analysis of Full-Scale Hydraulic Fracture Initiation and Reorientation. Rock Mech Rock Eng 48, 2497–2512 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-015-0846-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-015-0846-3

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