Summary
Temporary plugging and diverting fracturing (TPDF) has become one of the fastest-growing techniques to maximize the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV). During the field operation of TPDF, diverters are injected to redirect the hydraulic fractures into the under-stimulated region of the reservoir, and, thus, to obtain better coverage of the created fracture network. In this study, the commonly used true tri-axial hydraulic fracturing system is modified to investigate the influences of various factors on the injection pressure response and resultant fracture geometry during diversion treatments. The experimental results show the feasibility of creating multiple fractures through TPDF, and more importantly give the following findings: (1) a complex diverted fracture network tends to be created at a small differential stress (2.5 MPa in this case), while diverted fractures tend to grow parallel to the initial fractures at a high differential stress (7.5 MPa in this case); (2) with the same concentration in the fracturing fluid, 40-mesh powder-shaped diverters can plug the created fractures and increase the net pressure more rapidly than 6-mm fiber-shaped diverters; (3) an excess of diverters can lead to a strong injection pressure response, and, thus, enhance the difficulty of creating multiple fractures; (4) when diverters are injected with the fracturing fluid, no obvious breakdown pressure or propagation pressure is shown during the fracture propagation.
Evaluation of subsurface fracture geometry using fluid pressure response to solid earth tidal strain
