A mechanistic view of some aspects of jointing in rocks

On the assumption that joints are tensile fractures, the origin of jointing is examined by using the concept of the microscopic Griffith crack of fracture mechanics. Most joints are expected to form through nucleation at tensile stress concentrations of Griffith cracks during a period of rising compressive stress and low confining pressure. The process of stable fracture propagation from numerous Griffith cracks is aided by porewater pressure and stress corrosion. Joints may also form during unloading through a residual stress effect. A mechanism of fracture through residual stress connected with failure at compressive stress concentrations of Griffith cracks is proposed and its implications examined.     

青海共和盆地干热岩地热储层水力压裂物理模拟和裂缝起裂与扩展形态研究

水力压裂是青海共和盆地干热岩地热资源开发的难点技术问题之一。本文基于升级改造的大尺寸真三轴水力压裂物理模拟实验系统模拟干热岩储层高温高压环境,利用青海共和盆地露头岩心进行水力压裂物理模拟实验,揭示干热岩储层水力裂缝的起裂和扩展规律。通过物理模拟实验发现：干热岩储层裂缝起裂可以通过文中提出的起裂模型判断起裂方式和预测起裂压力;水力裂缝在岩石基质中的扩展形态简单,仅沿最大主应力方向延伸;但是水力裂缝会受到岩石中弱面的影响,发生转向沿弱面延伸,形成较复杂的裂缝形态。因此,建议在干热岩储层实际施工中,在天然裂缝发育较丰富的层段开展水力压裂,以实现复杂裂缝网络提取地热能。     

基于PFC2D数值模拟的交替压裂中应力阴影效应研究

为了探究应力阴影效应对交替压裂中压裂间距选取的影响,基于优化后的颗粒流离散元流固耦合计算模型,模拟并分析了双初始水力裂缝下因应力阴影效应产生的诱导应力的分布情况,并与理论解析解进行对比,证明了该数值方法的合理性。在此基础上,分析了应力阴影效应在不同各向异性地应力场及初始压裂间距条件下对新水力裂缝的起裂压力及扩展形态的影响,研究结果表明：初始各向异性应力场不改变裂缝周边的应力场,不影响新水力裂缝的起裂压力;随着初始压裂间距的减小,应力阴影效应增强,新水力裂缝的起裂压力逐渐增加。初始水力裂缝间距与初始各向异性应力场共同影响新水力裂缝的扩展形态,随着初始水力裂缝间距或初始水平地应力场差异系数的增大,应力阴影对新水力裂缝的扩展方向的影响逐步减弱;初始水力裂缝对新水力裂缝的扩展有一定的限制作用,在一定程度上不利于形成复杂的裂缝网络。根据以上分析结果,对交替压裂中压裂间距的优化进行了定性的探讨。     

孔隙水压力作用下砂岩裂纹扩展行为的试验研究

为研究水力耦合作用下砂岩裂纹扩展特征,开展了不同孔隙水压和围压条件的砂岩破坏试验。结果表明：有效围压相同,随着孔隙水压力增大,脆性指标数增大,起裂应力、损伤应力和峰值应力都变小;裂纹初始体积应变变小,裂纹扩展体积应变先减小后增大,损伤应力与峰值应力对应的裂纹轴向应变扩展速率、裂纹环向应变扩展速率增加,裂纹体积应变扩展速率与孔隙水压力关系不明显。孔隙水压力相同,随着有效围压增加,起裂应力、损伤应力和峰值应力增大。起裂应力、损伤应力、峰值应力对应的裂纹轴向应变扩展速率、裂纹环向应变扩展速率和裂纹体积应变扩展速率增大。同一块砂岩特征应力点的裂纹应变扩展速率比较,裂纹轴向应变扩展速率最大,裂纹环向应变扩展速率次之,裂纹体积应变扩展速率最小。     

水平井多段压裂应力场计算新模型

为了准确认识水平井多段压裂过程中井筒周围应力场变化,指导裂缝起裂和延伸机制研究,综合考虑井筒内压、地应力、压裂液渗流、热应力、射孔和先压开裂缝等因素的影响,根据应力叠加原理,建立了水平井多段压裂应力场计算模型。该模型利用位移不连续法,重点考虑了先压开裂缝在水平井筒周围水平面上产生的诱导应力大小,克服了裂缝诱导应力解析模型只能计算裂缝高度平面诱导应力大小的局限。结果表明,通过应力场模型进行的破裂压力预测与实际破裂压力值吻合度较高,验证了建立模型的准确性;人工裂缝形成后会对水平井筒周围应力场造成很大影响,在裂缝尖端出现应力集中,造成应力分量降低,在裂缝周围一定区域造成应力分量有较大的升高;多段压裂压开人工裂缝越多,应力之间干扰越严重,水平井筒周围应力分布越复杂。该研究对认识多段压裂存在先压裂缝干扰下后续裂缝的起裂和延伸机制,指导压裂施工具有一定意义。     

热应力影响下干热岩水压致裂数值模拟

干热岩水压致裂过程中低温诱导热应力与注入水压共同影响裂缝的萌生与扩展。首先通过THM耦合分析了低温压裂液注入过程中注入水压与热应力的相互作用及其对裂缝萌生的影响,随后建立描述岩石细观结构的THMD耦合模型对热应力影响下高温岩石水压致裂过程进行初探。结果表明：低温压裂液注入高温岩石产生的热应力包括岩石自身温度梯度形成的热应力与岩石颗粒非均匀膨胀导致的热应力,并在井筒周围呈现为拉应力。高注入压力将抑制热应力导致的多裂缝萌生,井筒附近热应力的存在对注入压力也具有削弱作用。基岩温度升高,裂缝萌生阶段更多裂缝在井筒附近起裂,缝网沿最大地应力方向的扩展速度减慢,但改造规模增加,同时多裂缝的存在也使得裂缝延伸压力增加。     

金湖凹陷天96断块阜二段储层裂缝多参数定量预测

基于应变能、表面能理论, 采用格里菲斯岩石破裂准则, 建立了金湖凹陷天96断块造缝期古地应力、现今地应力与裂缝参数之间的关系; 基于构造分析确定了造缝时期古地应力的类型和方向, 用声速法和水力压裂法确定了现今地应力的方向和大小, 将古今地应力场的数值模拟结果导入裂缝参数计算模型中, 模拟计算了天96断块阜二段裂缝的密度、开度、孔渗参数, 并结合古地应力场分析以及岩心裂缝统计数据对裂缝预测结果进行验证; 最后, 综合分析了影响天96断块裂缝发育的因素。      

Numerical modeling of hydraulic fracture propagation,closure and reopening using XFEM with application to in‐situ stress estimation

In this paper, a fully coupled model is developed for numerical modeling of hydraulic fracturing in partially saturated weak porous formations using the extended finite element method, which provides an effective means to simulate the coupled hydro‐mechanical processes occurring during hydraulic fracturing. The developed model is for short fractures where plane strain assumptions are valid. The propagation of the hydraulic fracture is governed by the cohesive crack model, which accounts for crack closure and reopening. The developed model allows for fluid flow within the open part of the crack and crack face contact resulting from fracture closure. To prevent the unphysical crack face interpenetration during the closing mode, the crack face contact or self‐contact condition is enforced using the penalty method. Along the open part of the crack, the leakage flux through the crack faces is obtained directly as a part of the solution without introducing any simplifying assumption. If the crack undergoes the closing mode, zero leakage flux condition is imposed along the contact zone. An application of the developed model is shown in numerical modeling of pump‐in/shut‐in test. It is illustrated that the developed model is able to capture the salient features bottomhole pressure/time records exhibit and can extract the confining stress perpendicular to the direction of the hydraulic fracture propagation from the fracture closure pressure. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of a deformable fracture in permeable material

The response of deformable fractures to changes in fluid pressure controls phenomena ranging from the flow of fluids near wells to the propagation of hydraulic fractures. We developed an analysis designed to simulate fluid flows in the vicinity of asperity‐supported fractures at rest, or fully open fractures that might be propagating. Transitions between at‐rest and propagating fractures can also be simulated. This is accomplished by defining contact aperture as the aperture when asperities on a closing fracture first make contact. Locations on a fracture where the aperture is less than the contact aperture are loaded by both fluid pressure and effective stress, whereas locations where the aperture exceeds the contact aperture are loaded only by fluid pressure. Fluid pressure and effective stress on the fracture are determined as functions of time by solving equations of continuity in the fracture and matrix, and by matching the global displacements of the fracture walls to the local deformation of asperities. The resulting analysis is implemented in a numerical code that can simulate well tests or hydraulic fracturing operations. Aperture changes during hydraulic well tests can be measured in the field, and the results predicted using this analysis are similar to field observations. The hydraulic fracturing process can be simulated from the inflation of a pre‐existing crack, to the propagation of a fracture, and the closure of the fracture to rest on asperities or proppant. Two‐dimensional, multi‐phase fluid flow in the matrix is included to provide details that are obscured by simplifications of the leakoff process (Carter‐type assumptions) used in many hydraulic fracture models. Execution times are relatively short, so it is practical to implement this code with parameter estimation algorithms to facilitate interpretation of field data. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

不同尺度岩体结构面对页岩气储层水力压裂裂缝扩展的影响

储层岩体中的天然结构面对水力压裂缝网改造具有重要的影响。本文采用真实破裂过程分析软件RFPA2D-Flow,在考虑岩体非均质性和岩体渗流-应力-损伤破裂特性的基础上,对不同尺度天然结构面影响的水力压裂裂缝扩展与演化行为进行了模拟分析和讨论,研究结果表明:（1）当水力裂缝遇天然非闭合裂隙时,在水力裂缝靠近非闭合裂隙区间形成拉张应力区,水力裂缝与区间非闭合裂隙间微元体累进性张拉破坏是导致水力裂缝与非闭合裂隙贯通的主要机制;（2）层理等优势结构对水力压裂裂缝扩展及缝网形态影响十分显著,当最大主应力方向与层理面走向小角度相交时,层理结构面对水力裂隙的扩展起主要作用,当最大主应力方向与层理面走向大角度相交时,最大主压应力与层理面共同对缝网扩展起主导作用,随着优势结构面的增多和差应力的增大,水力压裂形成的缝网范围和复杂性程度随之增大;（3）储层水力压裂是一种局部范围内的短暂动力扰动过程,尽管断层的存在可以极大地影响水力裂缝的扩展模式,增大水力裂隙扩展高度,但相比于储层埋深,水力压裂对断层封闭性的破坏范围和断层活动性的扰动程度十分有限。     

Linear Elastic and Cohesive Fracture Analysis to Model Hydraulic Fracture in Brittle and Ductile Rocks

Hydraulic fracturing technology is being widely used within the oil and gas industry for both waste injection and unconventional gas production wells. It is essential to predict the behavior of hydraulic fractures accurately based on understanding the fundamental mechanism(s). The prevailing approach for hydraulic fracture modeling continues to rely on computational methods based on Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM). Generally, these methods give reasonable predictions for hard rock hydraulic fracture processes, but still have inherent limitations, especially when fluid injection is performed in soft rock/sand or other non-conventional formations. These methods typically give very conservative predictions on fracture geometry and inaccurate estimation of required fracture pressure. One of the reasons the LEFM-based methods fail to give accurate predictions for these materials is that the fracture process zone ahead of the crack tip and softening effect should not be neglected in ductile rock fracture analysis. A 3D pore pressure cohesive zone model has been developed and applied to predict hydraulic fracturing under fluid injection. The cohesive zone method is a numerical tool developed to model crack initiation and growth in quasi-brittle materials considering the material softening effect. The pore pressure cohesive zone model has been applied to investigate the hydraulic fracture with different rock properties. The hydraulic fracture predictions of a three-layer water injection case have been compared using the pore pressure cohesive zone model with revised parameters, LEFM-based pseudo 3D model, a Perkins-Kern–Nordgren (PKN) model, and an analytical solution. Based on the size of the fracture process zone and its effect on crack extension in ductile rock, the fundamental mechanical difference of LEFM and cohesive fracture mechanics-based methods is discussed. An effective fracture toughness method has been proposed to consider the fracture process zone effect on the ductile rock fracture.     

Simulation of non‐planar three‐dimensional hydraulic fracture propagation

Hydraulic fracturing is the method of choice to enhance reservoir permeability and well efficiency for extraction of shale gas. Multi‐stranded non‐planar hydraulic fractures are often observed in stimulation sites. Non‐planar fractures propagating from wellbores inclined from the direction of maximum horizontal stress have also been reported. The pressure required to propagate non‐planar fractures is in general higher than in the case of planar fractures. Current computational methods for the simulation of hydraulic fractures generally assume single, symmetric, and planar crack geometries. In order to better understand hydraulic fracturing in complex‐layered naturally fractured reservoirs, fully 3D models need to be developed. In this paper, we present simulations of 3D non‐planar fracture propagation using an adaptive generalized FEM. This method greatly facilitates the discretization of complex 3D fractures, as finite element faces are not required to fit the crack surfaces. A solution strategy for fully automatic propagation of arbitrary 3D cracks is presented. The fracture surface on which pressure is applied is also automatically updated at each step. An efficient technique to numerically integrate boundary conditions on crack surfaces is also proposed and implemented. Strongly graded localized refinement and analytical asymptotic expansions are used as enrichment functions in the neighborhood of fracture fronts to increase the computational accuracy and efficiency of the method. Stress intensity factors with pressure on crack faces are extracted using the contour integral method. Various non‐planar crack geometries are investigated to demonstrate the robustness and flexibility of the proposed simulation methodology. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An algorithm for the simulation of curvilinear plane-strain and axisymmetric hydraulic fractures with lag using the universal meshes

We present an algorithm to simulate curvilinear hydraulic fractures in plane strain and axisymmetry. We restrict our attention to sharp fractures propagating in an isotropic, linear elastic medium and driven by the injection of a laminar, Newtonian fluid governed by lubrication theory, and we require the existence of a finite lag region between the fluid front and the crack tip. The key novelty of our approach is in how we discretize the evolving crack and fluid domains: we utilize universal meshes (UMs), a technique to create conforming triangulations of a problem domain by only perturbing nodes of a universal background mesh in the vicinity of the boundary. In this way, we construct meshes, which conform to the crack and to the fluid front. This allows us to build standard piecewise linear finite element spaces and to monolithically solve the quasistatic hydraulic fracture problem for the displacement field in the rock and the pressure in the fluid. We demonstrate the performance of our algorithms through three examples: a convergence study in plane strain, a comparison with experiments in axisymmetry, and a novel case of a fracture in a narrow pay zone.     

Rapid simulation of multiple radially growing hydraulic fractures using an energy‐based approach

The goal of hydraulic fracturing stimulation of horizontal wells is typically to generate uniform, simultaneously growing hydraulic fractures from 3 to 6 initiation/entry sites that are spaced within a certain interval of the wellbore comprising a so‐called stage. Because of the stress interaction among growing hydraulic fractures, however, it is hard to attain simultaneous growth of all hydraulic fractures. While models have been proven useful for devising mitigation strategies of these so‐called stress‐shadow effects, the required simulations are so computationally expensive that optimization is possible only in the simplest cases. Here, we present an approximate (energy‐based) model capable of running an entire simulation in 1–2s, which is about one million times faster than the benchmark model. The approach is built on asymptotic solutions to approximate growth of radial hydraulic fractures, a far field approximation for the stress shadow interactions among growing hydraulic fractures, and coupling the effect of the stress shadow to fracture growth via a global energy balance equation. We show very close agreement in predictions of the lengths of each fracture in the array between the approximate model and the benchmark model, thus verifying that the new approximate model is useful for optimization of hydraulic fracture design. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

水平井中多条裂缝同步扩展时裂缝竞争机制

水平井中多条水力裂缝间的应力干扰行为,造成了压裂液排量的非均匀分配,影响了水力裂缝的几何形态。采用边界元法研究岩体在压裂液作用下的变形程度,以幂律流体泊肃叶平板流动方程来研究水力裂缝内部的压裂液流场,考虑了多条裂缝间应力干扰和压裂液流量分配,建立了流-固耦合的水平井多条水力裂缝同步扩展模型。模型可模拟水平井多条水力裂缝几何形态、应力干扰情况和压裂液排量的分配情况,可解释水力裂缝之间的竞争机制。多条裂缝同步扩展时,压裂液排量并非均等地分配到各个裂缝之中,进入到内部裂缝的压裂液流量最小,内部裂缝宽度最小;内部的水力裂缝增长一定长度后,停止增长,并且在应力干扰下逐渐闭合。     

Prediction and analysis of the stimulated reservoir volume for shale gas reservoirs based on rock failure mechanism

The ultra-low-permeability shale gas reservoir has a lot of well-developed natural fractures. It has been proven that hydraulic fracture growth pattern is usually a complex network fracture rather than conventional single planar fractures by micro-seismic monitoring, which can be explained as the shear and tensile failure of natural fractures or creation of new cracks due to the increase in reservoir pore pressure caused by fluid injection during the process of hydraulic fracturing. In order to simulate the network fracture growth, a mathematical model was established based on full tensor permeability, continuum method and fluid mass conservation equation. Firstly, the governing equation of fluid diffusivity based on permeability tensor was solved to obtain the reservoir pressure distribution. Then Mohr–Coulomb shear failure criterion and tensile failure criterion were used to decide whether the rock failed or not in any block on the basis of the calculated reservoir pressure. The grid-block permeability was modified according to the change of fracture aperture once any type of rock failure criterion was met within a grid block. Finally, the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) zone was represented by an enhancement permeability zone. After calibrating the numerical solution of the model with the field micro-seismic information, a sensitivity study was performed to analyze the effects of some factors including initial reservoir pressure, injection fluid volume, natural fracture azimuth angle and horizontal stress difference on the SRV (shape, size, bandwidth and length). The results show that the SRV size increases with the increasing initial pore reservoir and injection fluid volume, but decreases with the increase in the horizontal principal stress difference and natural fracture azimuth angle. The SRV shape is always similar for different initial pore reservoir and injection fluid volume. The SRV is observed to become shorter in length and wider in bandwidth with the decrease in natural fracture azimuth angle and horizontal principal stress difference.     

基于扩展有限元法的碳酸盐岩地热储层岩体裂缝扩展行为

水力压裂作为一种主要的地热能开采手段,其压裂效果除与岩体基本物理力学性质有关外,还与裂隙分布、地应力状态、压裂工程参数等密切相关.为了探究以上因素对水力压裂过程中裂缝扩展行为的影响,以冀中坳陷碳酸盐岩储层岩体为研究对象,基于扩展有限元法,建立裂缝扩展流固耦合模型,分析了水平应力差、射孔方位角、注入液排量和压裂液黏度等参数对裂缝扩展行为的影响.结果表明:单裂缝扩展时,射孔方位角越小、注入量越大、越有利于裂缝扩展;双裂缝扩展时,水平应力差增大,裂缝偏转程度变小;水力裂缝与天然裂缝相交时,较小水平应力差有利于天然裂缝开启.     

预制横缝条件下水力裂缝的起裂和扩展

针对高角度天然裂缝发育地层中的水平井水力压裂问题,开展了水力裂缝自天然裂缝处起裂扩展的理论和试验研究。尝试将天然裂缝简化为与井筒轴线垂直的横向裂缝,基于线弹性断裂力学理论和最大拉应力准则,给出了水力裂缝起裂压力和扩展过程中应力强度因子的计算方法。利用预制横缝模拟高角度天然裂缝,开展了室内水力压裂试验,对水力裂缝的扩展形态和起裂压力进行了研究。理论计算表明,（1）水力裂缝自预制横缝端部起裂后,扩展距离超过1倍的预制横缝端部半径时可将预制横缝和水力裂缝合并起来,整体视作一条横向裂缝来计算应力强度因子;（2）水力裂缝尖端距井壁处的距离大于4倍的井筒半径时,应力强度因子的计算可忽略井筒的影响,近似采用硬币形裂缝的计算公式。试验研究发现,（1）水力裂缝在预制横缝端部起裂并扩展,形成与井筒轴线垂直的横向裂缝,裂缝的扩展呈现出Ⅰ型断裂的特点,形态近似呈圆形,未发现与井筒轴线平行的纵向裂缝的起裂和扩展;（2）排量对破裂净压力和起裂净压力有重要影响,大排量会导致较高的破裂净压力和起裂净压力,在大、小两种排量下起裂净压力的离散性均较小,计算得到的KⅠ临界断裂值的离散性也较小。研究结果可为改善裂缝发育储层的近井裂缝形态提供指导,也可为煤矿开采中预制横向切槽的水力压裂设计提供参考。     

CONSEQUENCES OF FLUID LAG IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL HYDRAULIC FRACTURES

Research investigations on three-dimensional (3-D) rectangular hydraulic fracture configurations with varying degrees of fluid lag are reported. This paper demonstrates that a 3-D fracture model coupled with fluid lag (a small region of reduced pressure) at the fracture tip can predict very large excess pressure measurements for hydraulic fracture processes. Predictions of fracture propagation based on critical stress intensity factors are extremely sensitive to the pressure profile at the tip of a propagating fracture. This strong sensitivity to the pressure profile at the tip of a hydraulic fracture is more strongly pronounced in 3-D models versus 2-D models because 3-D fractures are clamped at the top and bottom, and pressures in the 3-D fractures that are far removed from the fracture tip have little effect on the stress intensity factor at the fracture tip. This rationale for the excess pressure mechanism is in marked contrast to the crack tip process damage zone assumptions and attendant high rock fracture toughness value hypotheses advanced in the literature. A comparison with field data is presented to illustrate the proposed fracture fluid pressure sensitivity phenomenon. This paper does not attempt to calculate the length of the fluid lag region in a propagating fracture but instead attempts to show that the pressure profile at the tip of the propagating fracture plays a major role in fracture propagation, and this role is magnified in 3-D models. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech., vol. 21, 229–240 (1997).     

Numerical Modeling of Pore Pressure Influence on Fracture Evolution in Brittle Heterogeneous Rocks

Rock is a heterogeneous geological material. When rock is subjected to internal hydraulic pressure and external mechanical loading, the fluid flow properties will be altered by closing, opening, or other interaction of pre-existing weaknesses or by induced new fractures. Meanwhile, the pore pressure can influence the fracture behavior on both a local and global scale. A finite element model that can consider the coupled effects of seepage, damage and stress field in heterogeneous rock is described. First, two series of numerical tests in relatively homogeneous and heterogeneous rocks were performed to investigate the influence of pore pressure magnitude and gradient on initiation and propagation of tensile fractures. Second, to examine the initiation of hydraulic fractures and their subsequent propagation, a series of numerical simulations of the behavior of two injection holes inside a saturated rock mass are carried out. The rock is subjected to different initial in situ stress ratios and to an internal injection (pore) pressure at the two injection holes. Numerically, simulated results indicate that tensile fracture is strongly influenced by both pore pressure magnitude and pore pressure gradient. In addition, the heterogeneity of rock, the initial in situ stress ratio (K), the distance between two injection holes, and the difference of the pore pressure in the two injection holes all play important roles in the initiation and propagation of hydraulic fractures. At relatively close spacing and when the two principal stresses are of similar magnitude, the proximity of adjacent injection holes can cause fracturing to occur in a direction perpendicular to the maximum principal stress.