Please cite this article as: Dontsov, E.V., Peirce, A.P., An enhanced pseudo-3D model for hydraulic fracturing accounting for viscous height growth, non-local elasticity, and lateral toughness, Engineering Fracture Mechanics (2015), doi: http://dx.
AbstractThe goal of this paper is to develop a more accurate pseudo-3D model for hydraulic fracturing. The primary weaknesses of the classical pseudo-3D model are: 1) its inability to capture viscous height growth, and 2) its failure to include lateral fracture toughness. These flaws are addressed respectively by: 1) introducing an apparent fracture toughness in the vertical direction, and 2) using an approximate non-local elasticity operator. To evaluate the accuracy and the level of improvement of the model we have developed, the results are compared to the predictions calculated using a recently developed fully planar hydraulic fracturing simulator.