Displacement Discontinuity Analysis of the Effects of Various Hydraulic Fracturing Parameters on the Crack Opening Displacement (COD)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Shahrood University of Technology

2 University of North Dakota

3 Yazd University

Abstract

 
 
The combination of horizontal drilling along with hydraulic fracturing has significantly improved the production of hydrocarbon reservoirs and made it possible to extract the relatively impermeable and uneconomical reservoirs. The production rate of oil and gas wells increases proportional to hydraulic fracture aperture or crack opening displacement (COD). This is an important parameter in fracture mechanics literature and hydraulic fracturing of hydrocarbon reservoirs. Despite the significance of COD there are a few analytical solutions for the estimation of COD under certain conditions. In this paper the effect of various parameters on COD is investigated semi-analytically. A higher order displacement discontinuity method is used to consider the effects of different parameters (Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, internal pressure, maximum and minimum horizontal stresses, crack half-length and its inclination with maximum horizontal stress) on the COD in a hydraulic fracturing process under arbitrarily conditions. The coefficient of determination and standard error of the estimate were 94.35% and 4.37×10-4
respectively, showing a good agreement between the fitted equation and the numerical results. The effect of propagation and well radius on the maximum COD was also investigated. The results showed that COD increases almost linearly with the crack propagation and increase of well radius of hydraulic fractures (HFs). These effects are more significant when HFs are propagating in the direction of maximum horizontal stress. The proposed equation and the results from propagation of hydraulic fractures can be used in early stages of a hydraulic fracturing design
 

Keywords

References

 
REFERENCES
Zhou D., Zheng P., He P., and Peng J., “Hydraulic Fracture Propagation Direction during Volume Fracturing in Unconventional Reservoirs,” J. Pet. Sci. Eng., 2016, 141, 82-89.
Bunger A. P., Gordeliy E., and Detournay E., “Comparison between Laboratory Experiments and Coupled Simulations of Saucer-shaped Hydraulic Fractures in Homogeneous Brittle-Elastic Solids,” J. Mech. Phys. Solids., 2013, 61, 1636-1654.
Abdollahipour A., Fatehi Marji M., Yarahmadi-Bafghi A., and Gholamnejad J., “Simulating the Propagation of Hydraulic Fractures from a Circular Wellbore Using the Displacement Discontinuity Method,” Int. J. Rock. Mech. Min. Sci., 2015, 80, 281–291.
Abdollahipour A., “Crack Propagation Mechanism in Hydraulic Fracturing Procedure in Oil Reservoirs,” University of Yazd, 2015.
Abdollahipour A., Fatehi Marji M., Yarahmadi-Bafghi A., and Gholamnejad J., “Numerical Investigation on the Effect of Crack Geometrical Parameters in Hydraulic Fracturing Process of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs,” J. Min. Environ., 2016, 7, 205-214.
Rice J. R., “A Path Independent Integral and the Approximate Analysis of Strain Concentration by Notches and Cracks,” ASME. J. Appl. Mech., 1968, 35, 379-386.
Wells A. A., “Unstable Crack Propagation in Metals: Cleavage and Fast Fracture,” Crack Propag. Symp., Cracnfield, UK, 1961.
Wells A. A., “Application of Fracture Mechanics at and beyond General Yielding,” Br. Weld. J., 1963, 11, 563–570.
Abdollahipour A., Fatehi Marji M., Yarahmadi-Bafghi A. R., and Gholamnejad J., “DEM Simulation of Confining Pressure Effects on Crack Opening Displacement (COD) in Hydraulic Fracturing,” Int. J. Min. Sci. Technol., (In Press), 2016.
Shou K. J. and Crouch S. L., “A Higher Order Displacement Discontinuity Method for Analysis of Crack Problems,” Int. J. Rock. Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 1995, 32, 49-55.
Haeri H., Shahriar K., Fatehi Marji M., Moarefvand P., “A Coupled Numerical-experimental Study of the Breakage Process of Brittle Substances,” Arab. J. Geosci., 2013.
Haeri H., Shahriar K., Fatehi Marji M., and Moarefvand P., “Investigating the Fracturing Process of Rock-like Brazilian Discs Containing Three Parallel Cracks under Compressive Line Loading,” Strength Mater, 2014, 46, 404-416.
Behnia M., Goshtasbi K., Fatehi Marji M., and Golshani A., “Numerical Simulation of Crack Propagation in Layered Formations,” Arab. J. Geosci., 2013, 7, 2729-2737.
Haeri H., Shahriar K., Fatehi Marji M., Moarefvand P., “A Boundary Element Analysis of the Crack Propagation Mechanism of Random Micro Cracks in Rock-like Specimens under Uniform Normal Tension,” J. Min. Environ., 2014, 6, 73-93
Crouch S. L., “Analysis of Stresses and Displacements around Underground Excavations an Application of the DDM,” Minneapolis, 1976.
Whittaker B. N., Singh R. N., and Sun G., “Rock Fracture Mechanics, Principles Design and Applications,” Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1992.
Tada H., Paris Paul C., and Irwin G. R. “The Stress Analysis of Cracks Handbook,” 3rd ed., New York: ASME, 2000.
Sneddon IN., “Fourier transforms,” New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1951.
Abdollahipour A., Fateh-Marji M., Yarahmadi-Bafghi A., and Gholamnejad J., “Time-Dependent Crack Propagation in a Poroelastic Medium Using a Fully Coupled Hydromechanical Displacement Discontinuity Method,” Int. J. Fract., 2016, 199, 71–87.
Abdollahipour A., Marji M. F., Bafghi A. Y., and Gholamnejad J., “On the Accuracy of Higher Order Displacement Discontinuity Method (HODDM) in the Solution of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics Problems,” J. Cent. South University., 2016, 23, 2941–2950.
Hossain M. D. M. and Rahman M. K., “Numerical Simulation of Complex Fracture Growth during Tight Reservoir Stimulation by Hydraulic Fracturing,” J. Pet. Sci. Eng., 2008, 60, 86–104.
Suarez Y. a., Chen Z., Rahman M. K., Rahman S. S., and et al., “Unsuccessful Hydraulic Fracturing Cases in Australia: Investigation into Causes of Failures and their Remedies,” J. Pet. Sci. Eng., 2007, 57, 70–81.
Rahman M. M., Rahman M. K., and Rahman S. S., “An Integrated Model for Multiobjective Design Optimization of Hydraulic Fracturing,” Pet. Sci. Eng., 2001, 31, 41–62.
Rahman M. M., Hossain M. M., Crosby D. G., and Rahman M. K., “Analytical, Numerical and Experimental Investigations of Transverse Fracture Propagation from Horizontal Wells,” J. Pet. Sci. Eng., 2002, 35, 127–150.
Gruesbeck C. and Collins R. E. “Particle Transport through Perforations,” SPE J., 1978, 22, 857–865.
Smith M. B. and Montgomery C. T., “Hydraulic Fracturing,” London, 2015.
Yew C. H., Mear M. E., Chang C. C., and Zhang X. C., “On Perforating and Fracturing of Deviated Cased Wellbore,” SPE Annu. Tech. Conf. Exhib., Houston, TX: Society of Petroleum Engineers, 1993.
Craig D. P., Brown T. D., and Ely J. W., “Field Investigation of Heat Transfer in Hydraulic Fractures and the Effect of Heat Transfer on Fracturing Fluid Design,” Annu. Tech. Conf. Exhib. SPE, Denver: Society of Petroleum Engineers, 1996.
Pearson C. M., Bond A. J., Eck M. E., and Schmidt J. H., “Results of Stress-oriented and Aligned Perforating in Fracturing Deviated Wells,” J. Pet. Technol., 1992, 44, 10-18.
Journal of Petroleum Science and Technology
Volume 8, Issue 3
July 2018
Pages 3-13

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics