A Review of Hydraulic Fracturing Simulation

Abstract

Along with horizontal drilling techniques, multi-stage hydraulic fracturing has improved shale gas production significantly in past decades. In order to understand the mechanism of hydraulic fracturing and improve treatment designs, it is critical to conduct modelling to predict stimulated fractures. In this paper, related physical processes in hydraulic fracturing are firstly discussed and their effects on hydraulic fracturing processes are analysed. Then historical and state of the art numerical models for hydraulic fracturing are reviewed, to highlight the pros and cons of different numerical methods. Next, commercially available software for hydraulic fracturing design are discussed and key features are summarised. Finally, we draw conclusions from the previous discussions in relation to physics, method and applications and provide recommendations for further research.

Coupled Poroelastic Modeling of Hydraulic Fracturing‐Induced Seismicity: Implications for Understanding the Post Shut‐In ML 2.9 Earthquake at the Preston New Road, UK

“…It is acknowledged that the development of explicit fracture dynamics‐based numerical modeling approaches to model fracture propagation is an integral part of analysis of stimulation operations. For such modeling approaches, the methods by which the fracture propagation is handled and the fracture front is resolved is pivotal to the accuracy of model solutions (Chen et al., 2021; Lecampion et al., 2018). One family of numerical methods is based on linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and tracks the fracture front either explicitly or implicitly.…”

Coupled poroelastic modelling of hydraulic fracturing-induced seismicity: Implications for understanding the post shut-in ML 2.9 earthquake at the Preston New Road, UK

“…It is acknowledged that the development of explicit fracture dynamics-based numerical modeling approaches to model fracture propagation is an integral part of analysis of stimulation operations. For such modeling approaches, the methods by which the fracture propagation is handled and the fracture front is resolved is pivotal to the accuracy of model solutions (Chen et al, 2021;Lecampion et al, 2018). One family of numerical methods is based on linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and tracks the fracture front either explicitly or implicitly.…”

Scaling Behavior of Thermally Driven Fractures in Deep Low‐Permeability Formations: A Plane Strain Model With 1‐D Heat Conduction

“…Some of the initiated fractures continue to propagate with time, while the others are arrested at different times and distances from the cooling surface under strong inter‐fracture stress interaction. The fracture propagation and arrest lead to fracture spacing that changes with time and distance (referred to as dynamic spacing ) and a hierarchical pattern of propagating and arrested fractures (referred to as dynamically spaced fractures ), which is very different from that of hydraulic fracturing (Chen et al., 2021). The second key difference is the fact that the effective spatial scales of the physical processes (e.g., propagation of thermal fractures and evolution of $${\Delta}T$$ and $${\Delta}P$$ plumes) are dramatically different during thermal fracturing associated with long‐term fluid injection and flow, while the temporal scale of hydraulic fracturing is short.…”