Finite element simulations of 3D planar hydraulic fracture propagation using a coupled hydro‐mechanical interface element
Abstract
Summary Two‐dimensional hydraulic fracturing simulations using the cohesive zone model (CZM) can be readily found in the literature; however, to our knowledge, verified 3D cohesive zone modeling is not available. We present the development of a 3D fully coupled hydro‐mechanical finite element method (FEM) model (with parallel computation framework) and its application to hydraulic fracturing. A special zero‐thickness interface element based on the CZM is developed for modeling fracture propagation and fluid flow. A local traction‐separation law with strain softening is used to capture tensile cracking. The model is verified by considering penny‐shaped hydraulic fracture and plain strain Kristianovich‑Geertsma‑de Klerk hydraulic fracture (in 3D) in the viscosity‐ and toughness‐dominated regimes. Good agreement between numerical results and analytical solutions has been achieved. The model is used to investigate the influence of rock and fluid properties on hydraulic fracturing. Lower stiffness tip cohesive elements tend to yield a larger elastic deformation around the fracture tips before the tensile strength is reached, generating a larger fracture length and lower fracture pressure compared with higher stiffness elements. It is found that the energy release rate has almost no influence on hydraulic fracturing in the viscosity‐dominated regime because the energy spent in creating new fracturesmore »
- Authors:
-
- Reservoir Geomechanics &, Seismicity Research Group, Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering The University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma USA
- Publication Date:
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1644344
- Resource Type:
- Publisher's Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics Journal Volume: 44 Journal Issue: 15; Journal ID: ISSN 0363-9061
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Gao, Qian, and Ghassemi, Ahmad. Finite element simulations of 3D planar hydraulic fracture propagation using a coupled hydro‐mechanical interface element. United Kingdom: N. p., 2020.
Web. doi:10.1002/nag.3116.
Gao, Qian, & Ghassemi, Ahmad. Finite element simulations of 3D planar hydraulic fracture propagation using a coupled hydro‐mechanical interface element. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1002/nag.3116
Gao, Qian, and Ghassemi, Ahmad. Sun .
"Finite element simulations of 3D planar hydraulic fracture propagation using a coupled hydro‐mechanical interface element". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1002/nag.3116.
@article{osti_1644344,
title = {Finite element simulations of 3D planar hydraulic fracture propagation using a coupled hydro‐mechanical interface element},
author = {Gao, Qian and Ghassemi, Ahmad},
abstractNote = {Summary Two‐dimensional hydraulic fracturing simulations using the cohesive zone model (CZM) can be readily found in the literature; however, to our knowledge, verified 3D cohesive zone modeling is not available. We present the development of a 3D fully coupled hydro‐mechanical finite element method (FEM) model (with parallel computation framework) and its application to hydraulic fracturing. A special zero‐thickness interface element based on the CZM is developed for modeling fracture propagation and fluid flow. A local traction‐separation law with strain softening is used to capture tensile cracking. The model is verified by considering penny‐shaped hydraulic fracture and plain strain Kristianovich‑Geertsma‑de Klerk hydraulic fracture (in 3D) in the viscosity‐ and toughness‐dominated regimes. Good agreement between numerical results and analytical solutions has been achieved. The model is used to investigate the influence of rock and fluid properties on hydraulic fracturing. Lower stiffness tip cohesive elements tend to yield a larger elastic deformation around the fracture tips before the tensile strength is reached, generating a larger fracture length and lower fracture pressure compared with higher stiffness elements. It is found that the energy release rate has almost no influence on hydraulic fracturing in the viscosity‐dominated regime because the energy spent in creating new fractures is too small when compared with the total input energy. For the toughness‐dominated regime, the released energy during fracturing should be accurately captured; relatively large tensile strength should be used in order to match numerical results to the asymptotic analytical solutions. It requires smaller elements when compared with those used in the viscosity‐dominated regime.},
doi = {10.1002/nag.3116},
journal = {International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics},
number = 15,
volume = 44,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Sun Aug 02 00:00:00 EDT 2020},
month = {Sun Aug 02 00:00:00 EDT 2020}
}
https://doi.org/10.1002/nag.3116
Web of Science
Works referenced in this record:
Propagation of a penny-shaped fluid-driven fracture in an impermeable rock: asymptotic solutions
journal, December 2002
- Savitski, A. A.; Detournay, E.
- International Journal of Solids and Structures, Vol. 39, Issue 26
Physics-based modeling of brittle fracture: cohesive formulations and the application of meshfree methods
journal, December 2001
- Klein, P. A.; Foulk, J. W.; Chen, E. P.
- Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 37, Issue 1-3
An engineering solution for mesh size effects in the simulation of delamination using cohesive zone models
journal, July 2007
- Turon, A.; Dávila, C. G.; Camanho, P. P.
- Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 74, Issue 10
A three-dimensional analysis of simultaneous and sequential fracturing of horizontal wells
journal, October 2016
- Kumar, Dharmendra; Ghassemi, Ahmad
- Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 146
Finite element modelling of viscosity-dominated hydraulic fractures
journal, June 2012
- Chen, Zuorong
- Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 88-89
Propagation Regimes of Fluid-Driven Fractures in Impermeable Rocks
journal, March 2004
- Detournay, E.
- International Journal of Geomechanics, Vol. 4, Issue 1
A numerical procedure for simulation of hydraulically-driven fracture propagation in poroelastic media
journal, January 1990
- Boone, Thomas J.; Ingraffea, Anthony R.
- International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, Vol. 14, Issue 1
A continuation method for rigid-cohesive fracture in a discontinuous Galerkin finite element setting
journal, May 2018
- Hirmand, M. Reza; Papoulia, Katerina D.
- International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Vol. 115, Issue 5
A numerical study of sequential and simultaneous hydraulic fracturing in single and multi-lateral horizontal wells
journal, August 2015
- Sesetty, Varahanaresh; Ghassemi, Ahmad
- Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 132
A growing library of three-dimensional cohesive elements for use in ABAQUS
journal, August 2014
- Spring, Daniel W.; Paulino, Glaucio H.
- Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 126
A weak penalty formulation remedying traction oscillations in interface elements
journal, October 2016
- Svenning, Erik
- Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, Vol. 310
Validity of Cubic Law for fluid flow in a deformable rock fracture
journal, December 1980
- Witherspoon, P. A.; Wang, J. S. Y.; Iwai, K.
- Water Resources Research, Vol. 16, Issue 6
Fracture process zone in concrete tension specimen
journal, January 2000
- Otsuka, Koji; Date, Hidehumi
- Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 65, Issue 2-3
Poro-viscoelastic modeling of production from shale gas reservoir: An adaptive dual permeability model
journal, September 2017
- Huang, Jian; Ghassemi, Ahmad
- Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 158
Analysis of Energy Balance When Using Cohesive Zone Models to Simulate Fracture Processes
journal, September 2002
- Shet, C.; Chandra, N.
- Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology, Vol. 124, Issue 4
Numerical modeling of hydraulic fracture problem in permeable medium using cohesive zone model
journal, January 2012
- Carrier, Benoit; Granet, Sylvie
- Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 79
Analysis of Stresses and Strains Near the End of a Crack Traversing a Plate
journal, September 1957
- Irwin, G. R.
- Journal of Applied Mechanics, Vol. 24, Issue 3
A mixed interface finite element for cohesive zone models
journal, December 2008
- Lorentz, E.
- Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, Vol. 198, Issue 2
A three-dimensional hydraulic fracturing simulator
journal, April 1989
- Vandamme, L.; Curran, J. H.
- International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Vol. 28, Issue 4
A three-dimensional poroelastic analysis of rock failure around a hydraulic fracture
journal, August 2013
- Ghassemi, A.; Zhou, X. X.; Rawal, C.
- Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 108
Three-Dimensional Poroelastic Modeling of Multiple Hydraulic Fracture Propagation from Horizontal Wells
journal, May 2018
- Kumar, Dharmendra; Ghassemi, Ahmad
- International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, Vol. 105
Three-Dimensional Thermo-Poroelastic Modeling and Analysis of Flow, Heat Transport and Deformation in Fractured Rock with Applications to a Lab-Scale Geothermal System
journal, October 2019
- Gao, Qian; Ghassemi, Ahmad
- Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, Vol. 53, Issue 4
Cohesive zone finite element-based modeling of hydraulic fractures
journal, October 2009
- Chen, Zuorong; Bunger, A. P.; Zhang, Xi
- Acta Mechanica Solida Sinica, Vol. 22, Issue 5
An efficient algorithm for propagating fluid-driven fractures
journal, October 1999
- Papanastasiou, P.
- Computational Mechanics, Vol. 24, Issue 4
Simulation of the fracture process in rock with application to hydrofracturing
journal, June 1986
- Boone, T. J.; Wawrzynek, P. A.; Ingraffea, A. R.
- International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences & Geomechanics Abstracts, Vol. 23, Issue 3
Propagation of a plane-strain hydraulic fracture with a fluid lag: Early-time solution
journal, September 2006
- Garagash, Dmitry I.
- International Journal of Solids and Structures, Vol. 43, Issue 18-19
On the numerical integration of interface elements
journal, January 1993
- Schellekens, J. C. J.; De Borst, R.
- International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Vol. 36, Issue 1
The Mathematical Theory of Equilibrium Cracks in Brittle Fracture
book, January 1962
- Barenblatt, G. I.
- Advances in Applied Mechanics, 55-129
Numerical aspects of cohesive-zone models
journal, September 2003
- de Borst, René
- Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 70, Issue 14
Computational implementation of the PPR potential-based cohesive model in ABAQUS: Educational perspective
journal, October 2012
- Park, Kyoungsoo; Paulino, Glaucio H.
- Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 93
Crack blunting and the strength of soft elastic solids
journal, June 2003
- Hui, C. -Y.; A., Jagota; Bennison, S. J.
- Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 459, Issue 2034
3D thermo-poroelastic analysis of fracture network deformation and induced micro-seismicity in enhanced geothermal systems
journal, November 2015
- Safari, Reza; Ghassemi, Ahmad
- Geothermics, Vol. 58
Crack band theory for fracture of concrete
journal, May 1983
- Bažant, Zdeněk P.; Oh, B. H.
- Matériaux et Constructions, Vol. 16, Issue 3
Cohesive Zone Models: A Critical Review of Traction-Separation Relationships Across Fracture Surfaces
journal, November 2011
- Park, Kyoungsoo; Paulino, Glaucio H.
- Applied Mechanics Reviews, Vol. 64, Issue 6
Three dimensional finite element simulations of hydraulic fracture height growth in layered formations using a coupled hydro-mechanical model
journal, January 2020
- Gao, Qian; Ghassemi, Ahmad
- International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, Vol. 125
Analysis of crack formation and crack growth in concrete by means of fracture mechanics and finite elements
journal, November 1976
- Hillerborg, A.; Modéer, M.; Petersson, P. -E.
- Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 6, Issue 6
Pore Pressure and Stress Distributions Around a Hydraulic Fracture in Heterogeneous Rock
journal, August 2017
- Gao, Qian; Ghassemi, Ahmad
- Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, Vol. 50, Issue 12
Yielding of steel sheets containing slits
journal, May 1960
- Dugdale, D. S.
- Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, Vol. 8, Issue 2
A scalable 3D fracture and fragmentation algorithm based on a hybrid, discontinuous Galerkin, cohesive element method
journal, January 2011
- Radovitzky, R.; Seagraves, A.; Tupek, M.
- Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, Vol. 200, Issue 1-4