Numerical Investigation Into the Simultaneous Growth of Two Closely Spaced Fluid-Driven Fractures
- Authors
- Xiyu Chen (Southwest Petroleum University, China; Monash University, Australia; and CSIRO Energy) | Jinzhou Zhao (Southwest Petroleum University, China) | Wenyi Yan (Monash University, Australia) | Xi Zhang (CSIRO Energy)
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2118/194188-PA
- Document ID
- SPE-194188-PA
- Publisher
- Society of Petroleum Engineers
- Source
- SPE Journal
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 01
- Publication Date
- February 2019
- Document Type
- Journal Paper
- Pages
- 274 - 289
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1086-055X
- Copyright
- 2019.Society of Petroleum Engineers
- Disciplines
- Keywords
- Displacement discontinuity method, Numerical modeling, Hydraulic fracturing, Fracture deflection, Fracture propagation
- Downloads
- 8 in the last 30 days
- 234 since 2007
- Show more detail
- View rights & permissions
| SPE Member Price: | USD 5.00 |
| SPE Non-Member Price: | USD 35.00 |
Summary
Multistage, multicluster hydraulic fracturing is a widespread method used in the petroleum industry to enhance the hydrocarbon production of low-permeability unconventional reservoirs. The core for fracturing-treatment success is achieving the simultaneous propagation of multiple closely spaced hydraulic fractures to enlarge the fracture surface. To better understand this coupled elasto-hydrodynamics mechanics, a 2D model comprising a combination of a displacement discontinuity method for elasticity and a finite volume method for lubrication is presented in this paper. Furthermore, a universal tip asymptotic solution, reflecting the unique multiscale tip behavior for fluid-driven fractures, is adopted as a propagation criterion to locate the fracture front. Numerical examples are fully implemented to investigate the competition in the growth of two closely spaced fluid-driven fractures at different initial lengths. Parametric studies reveal that the competition between simultaneous and single fracture growth is governed by dimensionless toughness, which represents the energy ratio of fracture-surface creation to fluid viscous dissipation. The simultaneous growth will be promoted when the fluid viscous dissipation is dominant, while, with increasing rock toughness, the tendency for single-fracture growth will increase correspondingly. Numerical results also demonstrate that initial fracture geometric settings play an important role in this competition. A large initial length offset between two fractures will generate preferential growth for the longer fracture, even in the viscosity-dominated regime. Furthermore, this paper provides dimensionless parameters characterizing fracture deflection caused by fracture interaction. The paper concludes by identifying the controlling parameters and their field applications, emphasizing that high injection rate, high fluid viscosity, and small initial fracture-size offset are beneficial to promoting the simultaneous growth at early time, which is important in enhancing reservoir permeability.
| File Size | 739 KB | Number of Pages | 16 |
References
Adachi, J. I. 2001. Fluid-Driven Fracture in Permeable Rock. Dissertation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=5261032.
Adachi, J. I. and Detournay, E. 2008. Plane Strain Propagation of a Hydraulic Fracture in a Permeable Rock. Engineering Fracture Mechanics 75 (16): 4666–4694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfracmech.2008.04.006.
Bell, F. G. 2004. Engineering Geology and Construction. CRC Press.
Bunger, A. P. and Cruden, A. R. 2011. Modeling the Growth of Laccoliths and Large Mafic Sills: Role of Magma Body Forces. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 116 (B2). https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JB007648.
Bunger, A. P., Zhang, X., and Jeffrey, R. G. 2012. Parameters Affecting the Interaction Among Closely Spaced Hydraulic Fractures. SPE J. 17 (1): 292–306. SPE-140426-PA. https://doi.org/10.2118/140426-PA.
Bunger, A. P. 2013. Analysis of the Power Input Needed to Propagate Multiple Hydraulic Fractures. International Journal of Solids and Structures 50: (10): 1538–1549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2013.01.004.
Bunger, A., Jeffrey, R. G., and Zhang, X. 2014. Constraints on Simultaneous Growth of Hydraulic Fractures From Multiple Perforation Clusters in Horizontal Wells. SPE J. 19 (4): 608–620. SPE-163860-PA. https://doi.org/10.2118/163860-PA.
Bunger, A. P. and Peirce, A. P. 2014. Numerical Simulation of Simultaneous Growth of Multiple Interacting Hydraulic Fractures From Horizontal Wells. In Shale Energy Engineering 2014: Technical Challenges, Environmental Issues, and Public Policy. pp. 201–210. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784413654.021.
Bunger, A. and Lecampion, B. 2017. Four Critical Issues for Successful Hydraulic Fracturing Applications. Tech. rep., CRC Press.
Crouch, S. L. and Starfield, A. M. 1983. Boundary Element Methods in Solid Mechanics: With Applications in Rock Mechanics and Geological Engineering. Vol. 50. Winchester, Massachusetts: George Allen and Unwin.
Crump, J. B. and Conway, M. W. 1988. Effects of Perforation-Entry Friction on Bottomhole Treating Analysis. J Pet Technol 40 (8): 1041–1048. SPE-15474-PA. https://doi.org/10.2118/15474-PA.
Daneshy, A. A. 2015. Dynamic Interaction Within Multiple Limited Entry Fractures in Horizontal Wells: Theory, Implications, and Field Verification. Presented at the SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference, The Woodlands, Texas, USA, 3–5 February. SPE-173344-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/173344-MS.
Detournay, E. 2004. Propagation Regimes of Fluid-Driven Fractures in Impermeable Rocks. International Journal of Geomechanics 4 (1): 35–45. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1532-3641(2004)4:1(35).
Detournay, E. 2016. Mechanics of Hydraulic Fractures. Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics 48: 311–339. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-fluid-010814-014736.
Dontsov, E. V. and Peirce, A. P. 2015. A Non-Singular Integral Equation Formulation to Analyze Multiscale Behaviour in Semi-Infinite Hydraulic Fractures. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 781 (R1). https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2015.451.
East, L., Soliman, M. Y., Augustine, J. R. et al. 2011. Methods for Enhancing Far-Field Complexity in Fracturing Operations. SPE Prod & Oper 26 (3): 291–303. SPE-133380-PA. https://doi.org/10.2118/133380-PA.
Economides, M. J., Nolte, K. G., Ahmed, U. et al. 2000. Reservoir Stimulation. Vol. 18. Wiley Chichester.
Elbel, J., Piggott, A., Mack, M. et al. 1992. Numerical Modeling of Multilayer Fracture Treatments. Presented at the Permian Basin Oil and Gas Recovery Conference, Midland, Texas, USA, 18–20 March. SPE-23982-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/23982-MS.
Erdogan, F. and Sih, G. C. 1963. On the Crack Extension in Plates Under Plane Loading and Transverse Shear. Journal of Basic Engineering 85 (4): 519–525. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3656897.
Fisher, M. K., Heinze, J. R., Harris, C. D. et al. 2004. Optimizing Horizontal Completion Techniques in the Barnett Shale Using Microseismic Fracture Mapping. Presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, 26–29 September. SPE-90051-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/90051-MS.
Garagash, D. I., Detournay, E., and Adachi, J. I. 2011. Multiscale Tip Asymptotics in Hydraulic Fracture With Leak-Off. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 669: 260–297. https://doi.org/10.1017/S002211201000501X.
Germanovich, L. N. and Astakhov, D. K. 2004. Fracture Closure in Extension and Mechanical Interaction of Parallel Joints. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (1978–2012) 109 (B2). https://doi.org/10.10292002JB002131.
Howard, G. C. and Fast, C. 1957. Optimum Fluid Characteristics for Fracture Extension. In Drilling and Production Practice. API-57-261. New York: American Petroleum Institute.
Jeffrey, R. G., Chen, Z., Mills, K. W. et al. 2013. Monitoring and Measuring Hydraulic Fracturing Growth During Preconditioning of a Roof Rock Over a Coal Longwall Panel. In Effective and Sustainable Hydraulic Fracturing. Chapter 45. InTech. https://doi.org/10.5772/56325.
King, G. 2010. Thirty Years of Gas Shale Fracturing: What Have We Learned? Presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Florence, Italy, 19–22 September. SPE-133456-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/133456-MS.
Lecampion, B. and Desroches, J. 2015a. Robustness to Formation Geological Heterogeneities of the Limited-Entry Technique for Multi-Stage Fracturing of Horizontal Wells. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 48 (6): 2637–2644. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-015-0836-5.
Lecampion, B. and Desroches, J. 2015b. Simultaneous Initiation and Growth of Multiple Radial Hydraulic Fractures From a Horizontal Wellbore. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 82: 235–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2015.05.010.
Legarth, B., Huenges, E., and Zimmermann, G. 2005. Hydraulic Fracturing in a Sedimentary Geothermal Reservoir: Results and Implications. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 42 (7): 1028–1041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrmms.2005.05.014.
Meyer, B. R and, Bazan, L. W. 2011. A Discrete Fracture Network Model for Hydraulically Induced Fractures—Theory, Parametric and Case Studies. Presented at the SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference, The Woodlands, Texas, USA, 24–26 January. SPE-140514-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/140514-MS.
Miller, C. K., Waters, G. A., Rylander, E. I. et al. 2011. Evaluation of Production Log Data From Horizontal Wells Drilled in Organic Shales. Presented at the North American Unconventional Gas Conference and Exhibition, The Woodlands, Texas, USA, 14–16 June. SPE-144326-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/144326-MS.
Nagel, N. B. and Sanchez-Nagel, M. 2011. Stress Shadowing and Microseismic Events: A Numerical Evaluation. Presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Denver, 30 October–2 November. SPE-147363-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/147363-MS.
Olson, J. E. 2008. Multi-Fracture Propagation Modeling: Applications to Hydraulic Fracturing in Shales and Tight Gas Sands. Presented at the 42nd US Rock Mechanics Symposium (USRMS), San Francisco, 29 June–2 July. ARMA-08-327.
Peirce, A. and Detournay, E. 2008. An Implicit Level Set Method for Modeling Hydraulically Driven Fractures. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 197 (33): 2858–2885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cma.2008.01.013.
Peirce, A. and Bunger, A. 2015. Interference Fracturing: Non-Uniform Distributions of Perforation Clusters That Promote Simultaneous Growth of Multiple Hydraulic Fractures. SPE J. 20 (2): 384–395. SPE-172500-PA. https://doi.org/10.2118/172500-PA.
Pollard, D. D. and Holzhausen, G. 1979. On the Mechanical Interaction Between a Fluid-Filled Fracture and the Earth’s Surface. Tectonophysics 53 (1–2): 27–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1951(79)90353-6.
Rice, J. R. 1985. First-Order Variation in Elastic Fields Due to Variation in Location of a Planar Crack Front. Journal of Applied Mechanics 52 (3): 571–579. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3169103.
Roper, S. M. and Lister, J. R. 2005. Buoyancy-Driven Crack Propagation From an Over-Pressured Source. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 536: 79–98. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112005004337.
Roussel, N. P. and Sharma, M. M. 2011. Strategies to Minimize Frac Spacing and Stimulate Natural Fractures in Horizontal Completions. Presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Denver, 30 October–2 November. SPE-146104-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/146104-MS.
Rubin, A. M. 1995. Propagation of Magma-Filled Cracks. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 23 (1): 287–336. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ea.23.050195.001443.
Sesetty, V. and Ghassemi, A. 2016. Numerical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation From Horizontal Wells in Anisotropic Shale. Presented at the 50th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Houston, 26–29 June. American Rock Mechanics Association, ARMA-2016-181.
Siriwardane, H. and Layne, A. 1991. Improved Model for Predicting Multiple Hydraulic Fracture Propagation From a Horizontal Well. Presented at the SPE Eastern Regional Meeting, Lexington, Kentucky, USA, 22–25 October. SPE-23448-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/23448-MS.
Somanchi, K., O Brien, C., Huckabee, P. et al. 2016. Insights and Observations Into Limited Entry Perforation Dynamics From Fiber-Optic Diagnostics. Presented at the SPE/AAPG/SEG Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 1–3 August. URTEC-2458389-MS. https://doi.org/10.15530/URTEC-2016-2458389.
Spence, D. A. and Sharp, P. 1985. Self-Similar Solutions for Elastohydrodynamic Cavity Flow. In Proc., the Royal Society of London A: Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences. Vol. 400. The Royal Society, pp. 289–313, 1819.
Spence, D. A., Sharp, P. W., and Turcotte, D. L. 1987. Buoyancy-Driven Crack Propagation: A Mechanism for Magma Migration. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 174: 135–153. https://doi.org/10.1017/50022112087000077.
Tsai, V. C. and Rice, J. R. 2010. A Model for Turbulent Hydraulic Fracture and Application to Crack Propagation at Glacier Beds. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 115 (F3). https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JF001474.
Ugueto, C., Gustavo, A., Huckabee, P. T. et al. 2016. Perforation Cluster Efficiency of Cemented Plug and Perf Limited Entry Completions; Insights From Fiber Optics Diagnostics. Presented at the SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference, The Woodlands, Texas, USA, 9–11 February. SPE-179124-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/179124-MS.
Valk, P. and Economides, M. J. 1995. Hydraulic Fracture Mechanics. New York: Wiley.
Wu, K. and Olson, J. E. 2015. Simultaneous Multifracture Treatments: Fully Coupled Fluid Flow and Fracture Mechanics for Horizontal Wells. SPE J. 20 (2): 337–346. SPE-167626-PA. https://doi.org/10.2118/167626-PA.
Wu, K., Olson, J., Balhoff, M. T. et al. 2017. Numerical Analysis for Promoting Uniform Development of Simultaneous Multiple-Fracture Propagation in Horizontal Wells. Vol. 32. pp. 41–50. Richardson, Texas: Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Zeng, Q., Liu, Z., Wang, T. et al. 2018. Fully Coupled Simulation of Multiple Hydraulic Fractures to Propagate Simultaneously From a Perforated Horizontal Wellbore. Computational Mechanics 61 (1–2): 137–155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00466-017-1412-5.
Zhang, X. and Jeffrey, R. G. 2012. Fluid-Driven Multiple Fracture Growth From a Permeable Bedding Plane Intersected by an Ascending Hydraulic Fracture. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 117 (B12). https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JB009609.
Zhang, X., Bunger, A. P., and Jeffrey, R. G. 2014. Mechanics of Two Interacting Magma-Driven Fractures: A Numerical Study. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 119 (11): 8047–8063. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jB011273.
Zhao, J., Chen, X., Li, Y. et al. 2016. Simulation of Simultaneous Propagation of Multiple Hydraulic Fractures in Horizontal Wells. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering 147: 788–800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2016.09.021.
Zhao, J., Chen, X., Li, Y. et al. 2017. Numerical Simulation of Multi-Stage Fracturing and Optimization of Perforation in a Horizontal Well. Petroleum Exploration and Development 44 (1): 119–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1876-3804(17)30015-0.
