Stratigraphically Controlled Stress Variations at the Hydraulic Fracture Test Site-1 in the Midland Basin, TX

Arjun Kohli and Mark Zoback
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Arjun Kohli: Department of Geophysics, School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Mark Zoback: Department of Geophysics, School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-24

Abstract: We investigated the relationship between stratigraphy, stress, and microseismicity at the Hydraulic Fracture Test Site-1. The site comprises two sets of horizontal wells in the Wolfcamp shale and a deviated well drilled after hydraulic fracturing. Regional stresses indicate normal/strike-slip faulting with E-W compression. Stress measurements in vertical and horizontal wells show that the minimum principal stress varies with depth. Strata with high clay and organic content show high values of the least compressive stress, consistent with the theory of viscous stress relaxation. By integrating data from core, logs, and the hydraulic fracturing stages, we constructed a stress profile for the Wolfcamp sequence, which predicts how much pressure is required for hydraulic fracture growth. We applied the results to fracture orientation data from image logs to determine the population of pre-existing faults that are expected to slip during stimulation. We also determined microseismic focal plane mechanisms and found slip on steeply dipping planes striking NW, consistent with the orientations of potentially active faults predicted by the stress model. This case study represents a general approach for integrating stress measurements and rock properties to predict hydraulic fracture growth and the characteristics of injection-induced microseismicity.

Keywords: stress; stratigraphy; geomechanics; unconventional reservoirs; hydraulic fracturing; microseismicity; induced seismicity; Wolfcamp shale; Midland Basin; Hydraulic Fracture Test Site-1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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