Effect of water on critical and subcritical fracture properties of Woodford shale

Chen, Xiaofeng; Eichhubl, Peter; Olson, Jon E.

doi:10.1002/2016JB013708

Effect of water on critical and subcritical fracture properties of Woodford shale

Journal Article · Wed Apr 05 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JB013708· OSTI ID:1461956

^[1]; ^[2]; Olson, Jon E. ^[3]

Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Bureau of Economic Geology. Jackson School of Geosciences; The University of Texas at Austin
Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Bureau of Economic Geology. Jackson School of Geosciences
Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering. Cockrell School of Engineering

Subcritical fracture behavior of shales under aqueous conditions is poorly characterized despite increased relevance to oil and gas resource development and seal integrity in waste disposal and subsurface carbon sequestration. In this paper, we measured subcritical fracture properties of Woodford shale in ambient air, dry CO₂ gas, and deionized water by using the double-torsion method. Compared to tests in ambient air, the presence of water reduces fracture toughness by 50%, subcritical index by 77%, and shear modulus by 27% and increases inelastic deformation. Comparison between test specimens coated with a hydrophobic agent and uncoated specimens demonstrates that the interaction of water with the bulk rock results in the reduction of fracture toughness and enhanced plastic effects, while water-rock interaction limited to the vicinity of the propagating fracture tip by a hydrophobic specimen coating lowers subcritical index and increases fracture velocity. Finally, the observed deviation of a rate-dependent subcritical index from the power law K-V relations for coated specimens tested in water is attributed to a time-dependent weakening process resulting from the interaction between water and clays in the vicinity of the fracture tip.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)

Grant/Contract Number:: FE0023316

OSTI ID:: 1461956

Journal Information:: Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 122; ISSN 2169-9313

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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