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Influences on unstable hydraulic fractures: propagation of adjacent multiple perforations and bedded interfaces in multilayered reservoir via FE-DE model

Influences on unstable hydraulic fractures: propagation of adjacent multiple perforations and... Simultaneous hydrofracturing of multiple perforation clusters in vertical wells has been applied in the stimulation of hydrocarbon resources reservoirs. This technology is significantly impeded due to the challenges in its application to the multilayered reservoirs that comprise multiple interlayers. One of the challenges is the accurate understanding and characterization of propagation and deflection of the multiple hydraulic fractures between reservoirs and embedded interlayers.Design/methodology/approachNumerical models of the tight multilayered reservoirs containing multiple interlayers were established to study hydrofracturing of multiple perforation clusters and its influencing factors on unstable propagation and deflection of hydraulic fractures. Brittle and plastic multilayered reservoirs fully considering the influences of different in situ stress ratio and physical attributes for reservoir and interlayer strata on propagations of hydraulic fractures were investigated. The combined finite element–discrete element method and mesh refinement strategy were adopted to guarantee the accuracy of stress solutions and reliability of fracture path in computation.FindingsResults show that the shear stress fields between adjacent multiple hydraulic fractures are superposed to cause fractures deflection. Stress shadows induce the shielding effects of hydraulic fractures and inhibit fractures growth to emerge unstable propagation behaviors, and a main single fracture and several minor fractures develop. As the in situ stress ratio increases, hydraulic fractures more easily deflect toward the direction of maximum in situ stress, and stress shadow and mutual interaction effects between them are intensified. Compared to brittle reservoir, plastic-enhanced reservoir may limit fracture growth and cannot form long fracture length; nevertheless, plastic properties of reservoir are prone to induce more microseismic events with larger magnitude.Originality/valueThe obtained fracturing behaviors and mechanisms based on engineering-scale multilayered reservoir may provide effective schemes for controlling and estimating the unstable propagation of multiple hydraulic fractures. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Engineering Computations Emerald Publishing

Influences on unstable hydraulic fractures: propagation of adjacent multiple perforations and bedded interfaces in multilayered reservoir via FE-DE model

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
0264-4401
DOI
10.1108/ec-03-2021-0185
Publisher site
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Abstract

Simultaneous hydrofracturing of multiple perforation clusters in vertical wells has been applied in the stimulation of hydrocarbon resources reservoirs. This technology is significantly impeded due to the challenges in its application to the multilayered reservoirs that comprise multiple interlayers. One of the challenges is the accurate understanding and characterization of propagation and deflection of the multiple hydraulic fractures between reservoirs and embedded interlayers.Design/methodology/approachNumerical models of the tight multilayered reservoirs containing multiple interlayers were established to study hydrofracturing of multiple perforation clusters and its influencing factors on unstable propagation and deflection of hydraulic fractures. Brittle and plastic multilayered reservoirs fully considering the influences of different in situ stress ratio and physical attributes for reservoir and interlayer strata on propagations of hydraulic fractures were investigated. The combined finite element–discrete element method and mesh refinement strategy were adopted to guarantee the accuracy of stress solutions and reliability of fracture path in computation.FindingsResults show that the shear stress fields between adjacent multiple hydraulic fractures are superposed to cause fractures deflection. Stress shadows induce the shielding effects of hydraulic fractures and inhibit fractures growth to emerge unstable propagation behaviors, and a main single fracture and several minor fractures develop. As the in situ stress ratio increases, hydraulic fractures more easily deflect toward the direction of maximum in situ stress, and stress shadow and mutual interaction effects between them are intensified. Compared to brittle reservoir, plastic-enhanced reservoir may limit fracture growth and cannot form long fracture length; nevertheless, plastic properties of reservoir are prone to induce more microseismic events with larger magnitude.Originality/valueThe obtained fracturing behaviors and mechanisms based on engineering-scale multilayered reservoir may provide effective schemes for controlling and estimating the unstable propagation of multiple hydraulic fractures.

Journal

Engineering Computations – Emerald Publishing

Published: Mar 24, 2022

Keywords: Unstable hydraulic fractures; Stress field disturbance; Bedded discontinuous interfaces; Multilayered reservoirs; Microseismic events; Finite element–discrete element model

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