Numerical Study of Stress Shadowing Effect on Fracture Initiation and Interaction Between Perforation Clusters

Damjanac, Branko; Maxwell, Shawn; Pirayehgar, A.; Torres, M. E.

doi:10.15530/urtec-2018-2901800

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…pressurised fracture or propped fracture). The first fracture is a plane fracture and the subsequent fracture is a non-plane fracture, which is "repulsed" by the first fracture due to stress interference (Cheng et al, 2017a;Damjanac et al, 2018;Sesetty and Ghassemi, 2013;Wang and Liu, 2022).…”

Section: Review Of Stress Shadow and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress-dependent unstable dynamic propagation of multiple hydraulic fractures: a review of stress shadow effects and continuum-discontinuum methods

Wang

Liu

2023

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PurposeThe unstable dynamic propagation of multistage hydrofracturing fractures leads to uneven development of the fracture network and research on the mechanism controlling this phenomenon indicates that the stress shadow effects around the fractures are the main mechanism causing this behaviour. Further studies and simulations of the stress shadow effects are necessary to understand the controlling mechanism and evaluate the fracturing effect.Design/methodology/approachIn the process of stress-dependent unstable dynamic propagation of fractures, there are both continuous stress fields and discontinuous fractures; therefore, in order to study the stress-dependent unstable dynamic propagation of multistage fracture networks, a series of continuum-discontinuum numerical methods and models are reviewed, including the well-developed extended finite element method, displacement discontinuity method, boundary element method and finite element-discrete element method.FindingsThe superposition of the surrounding stress field during fracture propagation causes different degrees of stress shadow effects between fractures and the main controlling factors of stress shadow effects are fracture initiation sequence, perforation cluster spacing and well spacing. The perforation cluster spacing varies with the initiation sequence, resulting in different stress shadow effects between fractures; for example, the smaller the perforation cluster spacing and well spacing are, the stronger the stress shadow effects are and the more seriously the fracture propagation inhibition arises. Moreover, as the spacing of perforation clusters and well spacing increases, the stress shadow effects decrease and the fracture propagation follows an almost straight pattern. In addition, the computed results of the dynamic distribution of stress-dependent unstable dynamic propagation of fractures under different stress fields are summarised.Originality/valueA state-of-art review of stress shadow effects and continuum-discontinuum methods for stress-dependent unstable dynamic propagation of multiple hydraulic fractures are well summarized and analysed. This paper can provide a reference for those engaged in the research of unstable dynamic propagation of multiple hydraulic structures and have a comprehensive grasp of the research in this field.

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Section: Review Of Stress Shadow and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress-dependent unstable dynamic propagation of multiple hydraulic fractures: a review of stress shadow effects and continuum-discontinuum methods

Wang

Liu

2023

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“…The propagation behavior of fractures varies with the sequence of perforation initiation. In sequential fracturing, the first fracture is a plane fracture and the latter is a non-plane fracture [21][22][23]. In simultaneous fracturing, fracture propagation in the middle is inhibited and shorter than that on both sides [15,24,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deflection of Hydraulic Fractures and Shear Stress Disturbance Considering Thermal Effects: A Numerical Case Study

Liu

Wang

2022

Energies

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Quantitative characterization of propagation behaviors and morphology of hydraulic fractures is crucial for controlling and optimizing hydrofracturing effects. To study the disturbance deflection behaviors of multiple hydraulic fractures, a three-dimensional field-scale numerical model for multistage fracturing is established to study the shear stress disturbance and unstable propagation behavior of hydraulic fractures under different perforation cluster spacing. In the model, the thermal diffusion, fluid flow and deformation in reservoirs are considered to describe the thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling. In the numerical case study, the derived results show that the thermal effect between fracturing fluid and rock matrix is an important factor affecting fracture propagation, and thermal effects may increase the extent of fracture propagation. The size of stress shadow areas and the deflection of hydraulic fractures will increase with a decrease in multiple perforation cluster spacing in horizontal wells. The shear stress disturbance caused by fracture propagation is superimposed in multiple fractures, resulting in the stress shadow effect and deflection of fractures.

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“…These perforation clusters were observed to be associated with the dominant fractures, presumably because the fractures were less impacted by stresses imposed by neighboring fractures. Fracture models typically predict that the number of fractures that propagate within one stage with multiple perforation clusters is greater than one but generally less than the total number of perforation clusters (Castonguay et al., 2013; Damjanac et al., 2018; Kresse et al., 2013; Lecampion & Desroches, 2015; Meyer & Bazan, 2011; Olson, 2008), with stress interaction (i.e., “stress shadowing”) between fractures a major contributor.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laboratory Experiments Contrasting Growth of Uniformly and Nonuniformly Spaced Hydraulic Fractures

2021

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Because of major advances in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technology, vast tracts of gas bearing shale formations have become a significant source of hydrocarbon production in North America and beyond. These formations are called unconventional resources because they cannot be developed and produced by conventional production methods. As a result of their low permeability, higher intensity operations such as drilling a horizontal wellbore in the formation and creating multiple transverse hydraulic fractures crossing this wellbore are essential to make unconventional reservoirs economically viable. Although the type of formation and experience with horizontal wells in a specific formation will dictate the most appropriate type of well completion to be used, a commonality is the use of simultaneous injection into multiple entry points (i.e., clusters of perforation holes made in the casing and cement) with the intent of creating multiple hydraulic fractures in each of multiple, repeated stages (see Figure 1). Typically, each stage comprises three to six perforation clusters, and each stage is repeated 20-40 times on each well. The goal of this completion technique is to generate uniform hydraulic fractures from all perforation clusters within a stage; hence, to create high conductivity pathways to the formation for oil and gas production that uniformly stimulate the reservoir rock. However, industry experience with field data analysis (i.e., production logging during which a flow sensor is moved through the well to measure the contribution of each perforation cluster to the overall production rate) and predictions from simulations make it clear that uniform stimulation can be an elusive goal. For example, Miller et al. (2011) interpreted hundreds of production logs from multiple basins, concluding that approximately two thirds of perforation clusters contribute to well production. Similarly, Molenaar et al. (2012) published one of the first studies using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology with fiber optic cables in a horizontal wellbore, thereby detecting that

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Numerical Study of Stress Shadowing Effect on Fracture Initiation and Interaction Between Perforation Clusters

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Stress-dependent unstable dynamic propagation of multiple hydraulic fractures: a review of stress shadow effects and continuum-discontinuum methods

Stress-dependent unstable dynamic propagation of multiple hydraulic fractures: a review of stress shadow effects and continuum-discontinuum methods

Deflection of Hydraulic Fractures and Shear Stress Disturbance Considering Thermal Effects: A Numerical Case Study

Laboratory Experiments Contrasting Growth of Uniformly and Nonuniformly Spaced Hydraulic Fractures

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