Influence of natural fractures on hydraulic fracture propagation

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5952914

Teufel, L W; Warpinski, N R

Hydraulic fracturing has become a valuable technique for the stimulation of oil, gas, and geothermal reservoirs in a variety of reservoir rocks. In many applications, only short fractures are needed for economic production. In low-permeability reservoirs, however, long penetrating fractures are generally needed, and in this case, natural fractures can be the cause of many adverse effects during a fracture treatment. Natural fractures can influence the overall geometry and effectiveness of the hydraulic fracture by: (1) arresting the vertical or lateral growth, (2) reducing total fracture length via fluid leakoff, (3) limiting proppant transport and placement, and (4) enhancing the creation of multiple or secondary fractures rather than a single planar hydraulic fracture. The result may range from negligible to catastrophic depending on the values of the ancillary treatment and reservoir parameters, such as the treating pressure, in-situ stresses, pore pressure, orientations of the natural fractures relative to principle in-situ stresses, spacing and distribution of the natural fractures, permeability, etc. Field observations from mineback experiments at DOE's Nevada Test Site and the multiwell experiment in Colorado, laboratory tests, and analyses of these data are integrated to describe the complex fracture behavior found to an provide guidelines for predicting when this complex fracturing occurs.

• OSTI ID: 5952914
• Report Number(s): CONF-880301-
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150906 -- Geothermal Engineering-- Reservoir Stimulation & Extraction Technology
COMMINUTION
CRACK PROPAGATION
DATA ANALYSIS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FAILURES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURES
FRACTURING
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOPHYSICS
GEOTHERMAL WELLS
HYDRAULIC FRACTURES
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
MECHANICS
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS WELLS
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM
RECOVERY
RESERVOIR ROCK
ROCK MECHANICS
ROCK-FLUID INTERACTIONS
STIMULATION
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS