ABSTRACT:

For an efficient design in a hydraulic fracturing operation, reliable predictions of the applied pressure, and fracture initiation and propagation are important. In this paper, a hybrid bonded particle system and finite element domain is used to study the crack propagation around a pressurized borehole. Different in situ stresses and borehole sizes are considered. In addition, the effect of material ductility and size effect are studied and discussed. The results show that borehole size has an important effect on the crack extension regime. It appears that due to the existence of an internal length in a bonded particle system, the observed size effect can be at least partially explained within the frame work of a nonlocal or gradient continuum theory.

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