Mathematical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Formation and Cleaning Processes

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...

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Main Authors: Nickolay Smirnov, Kairui Li, Evgeniya Skryleva, Dmitriy Pestov, Anastasia Shamina, Chengzhi Qi, Alexey Kiselev
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-03-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/6/1967
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author Nickolay Smirnov
Kairui Li
Evgeniya Skryleva
Dmitriy Pestov
Anastasia Shamina
Chengzhi Qi
Alexey Kiselev
author_facet Nickolay Smirnov
Kairui Li
Evgeniya Skryleva
Dmitriy Pestov
Anastasia Shamina
Chengzhi Qi
Alexey Kiselev
author_sort Nickolay Smirnov
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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spelling doaj.art-02008dc0f61741529265e7350a7ac4ec2023-11-24T01:02:40ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732022-03-01156196710.3390/en15061967Mathematical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Formation and Cleaning ProcessesNickolay Smirnov0Kairui Li1Evgeniya Skryleva2Dmitriy Pestov3Anastasia Shamina4Chengzhi Qi5Alexey Kiselev6Scientific Research Institute for System Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117218 Moscow, RussiaSchool of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, ChinaScientific Research Institute for System Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117218 Moscow, RussiaScientific Research Institute for System Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117218 Moscow, RussiaScientific Research Institute for System Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117218 Moscow, RussiaSchool of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, ChinaScientific Research Institute for System Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117218 Moscow, RussiaThe 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.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/6/1967non-uniform fracture toughnesshydraulic fractureplanar-3D modelcomparative analysisseepage flowsfracture cleanup
spellingShingle Nickolay Smirnov
Kairui Li
Evgeniya Skryleva
Dmitriy Pestov
Anastasia Shamina
Chengzhi Qi
Alexey Kiselev
Mathematical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Formation and Cleaning Processes
Energies
non-uniform fracture toughness
hydraulic fracture
planar-3D model
comparative analysis
seepage flows
fracture cleanup
title Mathematical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Formation and Cleaning Processes
title_full Mathematical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Formation and Cleaning Processes
title_fullStr Mathematical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Formation and Cleaning Processes
title_full_unstemmed Mathematical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Formation and Cleaning Processes
title_short Mathematical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Formation and Cleaning Processes
title_sort mathematical modeling of hydraulic fracture formation and cleaning processes
topic non-uniform fracture toughness
hydraulic fracture
planar-3D model
comparative analysis
seepage flows
fracture cleanup
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/6/1967
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