We have developed a computational platform that allows the simulation of coupled flow-geomechanics-fracturing in a seamless manner. This allows consistent simulation of water flow back, proppant placement and production. The simulation process starts with the hydraulic fracturing process which is implemented by solving the fully coupled flow-geomechanics problem. Next, a critical stress intensity factor is computed which rules the fracture propagation process. For the results presented in this paper, we consider the simultaneous propagation of all the fractures belonging to a single stage. After the fractures have been successfully created, injection is stopped for a given number of days after which oil production starts. We showed a set of synthetic results that illustrate the stress and pressure changes that occur during fracturing and production of unconventional wells.

Keywords:
hydraulic fracturing, fluid dynamics, simulator, modeling & simulation, upstream oil & gas, petroleum reservoir simulation, reservoir characterization, complex reservoir, pore pressure, horizontal stress
Subjects:
Hydraulic Fracturing, Reservoir Characterization, Reservoir Fluid Dynamics, Reservoir Simulation, Unconventional and Complex Reservoirs, Reservoir geomechanics
Copyright 2020, Society of Petroleum Engineers
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