scholarly journals A Crack Propagation Control Study of Directional Hydraulic Fracturing Based on Hydraulic Slotting and a Nonuniform Pore Pressure Field

Geofluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Yugang Cheng ◽  
Zhaohui Lu ◽  
Xidong Du ◽  
Xuefu Zhang ◽  
Mengru Zeng

Hydraulic fracturing techniques for developing deeply buried coal reservoirs face routine problems related to high initial pressures and limited control over the fracture propagation direction. A novel method of directional hydraulic fracturing (DHF) based on hydraulic slotting in a nonuniform pore pressure field is proposed. A mechanical model is used to address crack initiation and propagation in a nonuniform pore pressure field, where cracks tend to rupture and propagate towards zones of high pore pressure for reducing the effective rock stress more. The crack initiation pressure and propagation morphology are analyzed by rock failure process analysis software. The numerical results show that the directional propagation of hydraulic fracturing cracks is possible when the horizontal stress difference coefficient is less than or equal to 0.5 or the slotting deviation angle is less than or equal to 30°. These findings are in good agreement with experimental results, which support the accuracy and reliability of the proposed method and theory.

2005 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 163-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lian Chong Li ◽  
Chun An Tang ◽  
Leslie George Tham ◽  
Tian Hong Yang ◽  
Shao Hong Wang

A series of numerical simulations of hydraulic fracturing were performed to study the initiation, propagation and breakdown of fluid driven fractures. The simulations are conducted with a flow-coupled Rock Failure Process Analysis code (RFPA2D). Both heterogeneity and permeability of the rocks are taken into account in the studies. The simulated results reflect macroscopic failure evolution process induced by microscopic fracture subjected to porosity pressure, which are well agreeable to the character of multiple hydraulic fracturing experiments. Based on the modeling results, it is pointed out that fracture is influenced not only by pore pressure magnitude on a local scale around the fracture tip but also by the orientation and the distribution of pore pressure gradients on a global scale. The fracture initiation, the orientation of crack path, the breakdown pressure and the stress field evolution around the fracture tip are influenced considerably by the orientation of the pore pressure. The research provides valuable guidance to the designers of hydraulic fracturing engineering.


Geofluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Quan Zhang ◽  
Bingxiang Huang ◽  
Manchao He ◽  
Shan Guo

When a high-pressure water source is located near a tunnel under excavation, water inrush is commonly associated with a hydraulic fracturing effect. To study the hydraulic fracturing effect of water inrush (HFEWI), flow-rock failure process analysis (F-RFPA2D) was adopted to simulate the water inrush process. The simulated results indicated that a stress disturbance area formed in front of the excavation face and that a hydraulic fracture zone formed in front of the karst cavity. Similarly, stress concentrations formed in front of the excavation face and the karst cavity. The hydraulic fracturing effect was characterized by stress concentration, and the local hydraulic crack propagation was the result of stress concentration. In addition, a pore pressure gradient formed in the crack-free area of the surrounding rock, and the occurrence of hydraulic cracking was the root cause of the significant change in water flow. When the hydraulic cracks initially formed and expanded, the zone of crack activity was large. As the cracks continued to expand, the range of activity decreased and finally concentrated directly in front of the excavation face. Additionally, the shapes of the water inrush channel obtained by the experimentation and numerical simulation were basically the same: semielliptical. During the evolution of hydraulic crack initiation, expansion, and penetration, the bottom of the excavated borehole was initially dry and then experienced seepage and water inrush. Finally, the minimum safe thickness of the rock wall was calculated to provide a safety guideline for this type of water inrush.


2011 ◽  
Vol 90-93 ◽  
pp. 74-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Hu ◽  
Ling Xu ◽  
Nu Wen Xu

Fault is one of the most important factors affecting tunnel instability. As a significant and casual construction of Jinping II hydropower station, when the drain tunnel is excavated at depth of 1600 m, rockbursts and water inrush induced by several huge faults and zone of fracture have restricted the development of the whole construction. In this paper, a progressive failure progress numerical analysis code-RFPA (abbreviated from Rock Failure Process Analysis) is applied to investigate the influence of faults on tunnel instability and damaged zones. Numerical simulation is performed to analyze the stress distribution and wreck regions of the tunnel, and the results are consistent with the phenomena obtained from field observation. Moreover, the effects of fault characteristics and positions on the construction mechanical response are studied in details. Some distribution rules of surrounding rock stress of deep-buried tunnel are summarized to provide the reasonable references to TBM excavation and post-support of the drain tunnel, as well as the design and construction of similar engineering in future.


2004 ◽  
Vol 261-263 ◽  
pp. 1517-1522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Cheng Zhu ◽  
K.T. Chau ◽  
Chun An Tang

Brazilian test is a standardized test for measuring indirect tensile strength of rock and concrete disc (or cylinder). Similar test called indirect tensile test has also been used for other geomaterials. Although splitting of the disc into two halves is the expected failure mode, other rupture modes had also been observed. More importantly, the splitting tensile strength of rock can vary significantly with the specimen geometry and loading condition. In this study, a numerical code called RFPA2D (abbreviated from Rock Failure Process Analysis) is used to simulate the failure process of disc and ring specimens subject to Brazilian test. The failure patterns and splitting tensile strengths of specimens with different size and loading-strip-width are simulated and compared with existing experimental results. In addition, two distinct failure patterns observed in ring tests have been simulated using RFPA2D and thus this verifies the applicability of RFPA2D in simulating rock failure process under static loads.


2012 ◽  
Vol 594-597 ◽  
pp. 202-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Zheng Jiang ◽  
Yang Li ◽  
Yi Ming Zhang ◽  
Tian Xue Jiang ◽  
Ming Xing Liu

Widespread problem in hydraulic fracturing of low-permeability reservoir is difficulty of crack initiation of fracturing, high initiation pressure of fracturing put forward higher requirements of fracturing equipment. Low-permeability reservoir for the study, in the fluid-solid coupling conditions, established a low-permeability reservoir perforation mechanical model of stress, using numerical solution techniques, consider the dynamic effects, we can achieve the stress distribution at different stages: drilling, well cementation, perforation and fracturing in low-permeability reservoir. With rock tensile fracture criterion can determine the initiation location and initiation pressure. The results show that the lower the degree of pollution in perforating hole, the smaller the pressure from the crack initiation as well as the higher the degree of pollution in perforating hole, the larger the pressure from the crack initiation. Orientation, diameter and depth of perforating hole effect on crack initiation and extension are more significant.


2005 ◽  
Vol 297-300 ◽  
pp. 2636-2641
Author(s):  
Lian Chong Li ◽  
Leslie George Tham ◽  
Tian Hong Yang ◽  
Xia Li

Based on the heterogeneous and porous characteristics of rock materials, a flow-stressdamage (FSD) model, implemented with the Rock Failure Process Analysis code (RFPA2D), is used to investigate the behavior of fluid flow and damage evolution, and their coupling action in rock sample that are subjected to both hydraulic and uniaxial compressive loading. A highly heterogeneous sample, containing grains, grain boundaries and weak zones, is employed in the numerical simulation. The simulation results provide a deep insight in the physical essence of the evolutionary nature of fracture phenomena as well as the fluid flow in heterogeneous materials, especially when they are highly stressed. The simulation result suggests that the nature of fluid flow and strength character in rocks strongly depends upon the heterogeneity of the rocks.


2013 ◽  
Vol 690-693 ◽  
pp. 3050-3053
Author(s):  
Feng Shan Han ◽  
Li Song

Opening mode fractures in multilayer sedimentary rock often are periodically distributed with fracture spacing scaled to the thickness of the fractured layer. In this paper, based on Rock Failure Process Analysis Code RFPA2D, a three layer model with a central layer and with the different thickness top and bottom layer, progressive formation in multilayer sedimentary rock at fracture saturation in unsymmetrical case is simulated. We investigate the change of the critical fracture spacing to layer thickness ratio as a function of the thickness of the top layer where the bottom layers is much thicker (5 times) than the fractured layer called the unsymmetrical case, in this unsymmetrical case, fracture saturation is simulated. By numerical simulation of RFPA2D, the critical spacing to layer thickness ratio decreases and tend to the same constant value as the thickness of the top layer increases. Numerical simulation shown that for the unsymmetrical case, if the adjacent layers are thicker than 1.5 times the thickness of the fractured layer, the multilayer sedimentary rock can be treated approximately as a system with infinitely thick top and bottom layers at fracture saturation.That should be useful in the design of engineering systems and in the prediction of fracture spacing in hydrocarbon reservoirs and groundwater aquifers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianhui Ma ◽  
Long Wang ◽  
Fidelis Tawiah Suorineni ◽  
Chunan Tang

Severe damage occurs frequently in mine pillars subjected to shear stresses. The empirical design charts or formulas for mine pillars are not applicable to orebodies under shear. In this paper, the failure process of pillars under shear stresses was investigated by numerical simulations using the rock failure process analysis (RFPA) 2D software. The numerical simulation results indicate that the strength of mine pillars and the corresponding failure mode vary with different width-to-height ratios and dip angles. With increasing dip angle, stress concentration first occurs at the intersection between the pillar and the roof, leading to formation of microcracks. Damage gradually develops from the surface to the core of the pillar. The damage process is tracked with acoustic emission monitoring. The study in this paper can provide an effective means for understanding the failure mechanism, planning, and design of mine pillars.


Geofluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Xiang Yu ◽  
Kang Zhao ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
Yajing Yan ◽  
Yongjun Zhang ◽  
...  

The study and accurate prediction of the movement of overburden rock mass and surface subsidence are crucial for a safe production in metal mines. This study investigates the relationship between the movement laws of overlaying strata and the time space of a mined-out volume using Rock Failure Process Analysis (RFPA) System. Furthermore, the movement, deformation, and failure laws of overlaying strata are examined in different positions when a goaf volume is certain and the failure behavior of the overlaying strata. This study analyzes the similarities and differences of the overlaying strata comparatively. Results show that, regardless of the movement range or subsidence value of the overlying rock mass, a power function relationship is observed between them and working face advancement. Setting the equation shows that the scope of the overlying rock mass is significant when the ratio of a certain position distance roof to the working face distance is small. The results provide a reference for controlling the displacement of the overlying rock mass and treating goaf.


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