Multiscale Computations of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation in Low-Permeability Heterogeneous Rocks

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Wan ◽  
Mahdad Eghbalian ◽  
Mehdi Pouragha ◽  
Larry S.K. Fung
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Fracture Propagation ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
Heterogeneous Rocks ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture Propagation ◽  
Multiscale Computations

Numerical model on predicting hydraulic fracture propagation in low-permeability sandstone

2020 ◽  
pp. 105678952096320
Author(s):  
Ji Shi ◽  
Jianhua Zhang ◽  
Chunyang Zhang ◽  
Tingting Jiang ◽  
Gang Huang
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Fracture Propagation ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Natural Fracture ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
Zone Method ◽  
Crustal Stress ◽  
Complex Fracture ◽  
Complex Fracture Network ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture Propagation

Hydraulic fracture propagation is hard to predict due to natural joints and crustal stress. This process may lead to uncontrollable changes in hydrogeological conditions. Therefore, prediction and control of fracture propagation are paramount to permeability increase in ore-bearing reservoir. The coupled fluid-solid model was utilized to predict the hydraulic fracture propagation in low-permeability sandstone of a uranium mine. For this study, the model was modified to allow fractures to propagate randomly by using the cohesive zone method. The simulation was developed on a three-step process. First, geological data required to run the model, including crustal stress, strength and permeability, were assembled. Next, fracture propagation under different conditions of stress and injection volume were simulated. In the final step, experimental data required to validate the model were obtained. The simulation results indicate that the principal stress, distribution and orientation of natural fracture have vital influence on fracture propagation and induced complex fracture network. This work provides a theoretical basis for the application of hydraulic fracture in low-permeability sandstone reservoir and ensures the possibility to predict the generation of complex fracture network.

scholarly journals Numerical Study of Elasto-Plastic Hydraulic Fracture Propagation in Deep Reservoirs Using a Hybrid EDFM–XFEM Method

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2610
Author(s):  
Wenzheng Liu ◽  
Qingdong Zeng ◽  
Jun Yao ◽  
Ziyou Liu ◽  
Tianliang Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Deformation ◽  
Iterative Method ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Iterative Procedure ◽  
Fracture Propagation ◽  
Hydraulic Fractures ◽  
Zone Model ◽  
Dilatancy Angle ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture Propagation

Rock yielding may well take place during hydraulic fracturing in deep reservoirs. The prevailing models based on the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) are incapable of describing the evolution process of hydraulic fractures accurately. In this paper, a hydro-elasto-plastic model is proposed to investigate the hydraulic fracture propagation in deep reservoirs. The Drucker–Prager plasticity model, Darcy’s law, cubic law and cohesive zone model are employed to describe the plastic deformation, matrix flow, fracture flow and evolution of hydraulic fractures, respectively. Combining the embedded discrete fracture model (EDFM), extended finite element method (XFEM) and finite volume method, a hybrid numerical scheme is presented to carry out simulations. A dual-layer iterative procedure is developed based on the fixed-stress split method, Picard iterative method and Newton–Raphson iterative method. The iterative procedure is used to deal with the coupling between nonlinear deformation with fracture extension and fluid flow. The proposed model is verified against analytical solutions and other numerical simulation results. A series of numerical cases are performed to investigate the influences of rock plasticity, internal friction angle, dilatancy angle and permeability on hydraulic fracture propagation. Finally, the proposed model is extended to simulate multiple hydraulic fracture propagation. The result shows that plastic deformation can enhance the stress-shadowing effect.

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