Mathematical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Formation and Cleaning Processes

Nickolay Smirnov, Kairui Li, Evgeniya Skryleva, Dmitriy Pestov, Anastasia Shamina, Chengzhi Qi and Alexey Kiselev
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Nickolay Smirnov: Scientific Research Institute for System Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117218 Moscow, Russia
Kairui Li: School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Evgeniya Skryleva: Scientific Research Institute for System Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117218 Moscow, Russia
Dmitriy Pestov: Scientific Research Institute for System Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117218 Moscow, Russia
Anastasia Shamina: Scientific Research Institute for System Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117218 Moscow, Russia
Chengzhi Qi: School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Alexey Kiselev: Scientific Research Institute for System Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117218 Moscow, Russia

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-35

Abstract: The effectiveness of the hydraulic fracturing procedure is crucially dependent on the stage of fracture planning and design. Forecasting fracture behavior in rock formations characterized by non-uniform toughness is a serious challenge. In the present paper, a planar-3D model considering the rock’s non-uniform fracture toughness has been developed for the uneven propagation of a hydraulic fracture. The series of numerical experiments were designed to study the effect of inhomogenous fracture toughness. The results show that the fracture toughness contract significantly controls the overall direction of fracture propagation, and a combination of toughness contrast and the proportion between the pay zone and barrier zone determine the fracture profile: from almost circular with or without a pair of narrow wedges when the proportion is small to almost rectangular otherwise. This paper also discusses the process of cleaning a fracture from hydraulic fracturing fluid by oil. Using numerical modeling on the basis of the constructed mathematical model, a relationship is established between the quality of hydraulic fracture cleaning and the geometrical parameters of the fracture and the region filled with the hydraulic fracturing fluid. The results of numerical experiments show that while fracturing fluid is more viscous than oil, the length of the fracture has a greater influence on the cleaning process than the viscosity of the fracturing fluid.

Keywords: non-uniform fracture toughness; hydraulic fracture; planar-3D model; comparative analysis; seepage flows; fracture cleanup (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: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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