Numerical Modeling of 3D Hydraulic Fractures Interaction in Complex Naturally Fractured Formations

• Published in: Rock mechanics and rock engineering Vol. 51; no. 12; pp. 3863 - 3881
• Main Authors: Kresse, Olga, Weng, Xiaowei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna Springer Vienna 01.12.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Civil Engineering; Computer simulation; Crack initiation; Crack propagation; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Fracture mechanics; Fractures; Geophysics/Geodesy; Height; Hydraulic fracturing; Hydraulics; Mathematical models; Modelling; Original Paper; Stress propagation; Three dimensional models; Two dimensional models; Stress shadow; Displacement discontinuity method; Hydraulic fracture network; Unconventional fracture model
• ISSN: 0723-2632; 1434-453X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00603-018-1539-5

The unconventional fracture model can simulate complex fracture network propagation in a formation with pre-existing natural fractures. The interaction between hydraulic fracture branches, or stress shadowing effect, could be modeled by 2D or 3D displacement discontinuity method (DDM). In this paper, we concentrate on a hydraulic fracture model that integrates 3D DDM for computing the induced 3D stress field around the propagating hydraulic fractures and incorporates the changes in induced stress into the fracture height calculations and propagation criterion. Examples show that for parallel fractures, the height growth may be promoted or suppressed depending on the relative fracture height. For fractures initiated from different formation layers, the fracture growth into the layer occupied by the other fractures is reduced due to the vertical stress shadowing effect.