Mudcake effects on wellbore stress and fracture initiation pressure and implications for wellbore strengthening

Although a large volume of mudcake filtration test data is available in the literature, effects of mudcake on wellbore strengthening cannot be quantified without incorporating the data into a stress-analysis model. Traditional models for determining fracture initiation pressure （FIP） either consider a wellbore with an impermeable mudcake or with no mudcake at all. An analytical model considering permeable mudcake is proposed in this paper. The model can predict pore pressure and stress profiles around the wellbore, and consequently the FIP, for different mudcake thickness, permeability, and strength. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effects of these mudcake parameters. The results show that a low-permeability mudcake enhances FIP, mainly through restricting fluid seepage and pore pressure increase in the near- wellbore region, rather than by mudcake strength. Fluid loss pressure （FLP） should be distinguished from FIP when a mudcake is present on the wellbore wall. Fracture may occur behind the mudcake at FIP without mudcake rupture. The small effect of mudcake strength on FIP does not mean its effect on FLP is small too. Mudcake strength may play an important role in maintaining integrity of the wellbore once a fracture has initiated behind the mudcake.

Model test study of frost heaving pressures in tunnels excavated in fractured rock mass in cold regions

Based on the similarity theory, taking the horseshoe, city-gate and round linings as examples, the value and distribution regularities of normal frost heaving pressures （hereinafter as frost heaving pressures） in tunnels excavated in fractured rock mass in cold regions under different constraints and freezing depths were studied by a test model. It was found that the larger the frozen depth, the larger the frost heaving pressure, and the stronger the top constraint, the larger the frost heaving pressure. For the horseshoe lining and city-gate lining, the top constraint has a greater effect on the frost heaving pressures on the arch and the inverted arch. For the round lining, the influences of the top constraint on the frost heaving pressure in all linings are almost the same. The frost heaving pressure is maximum on the city-gate lining and minimal on the round lining. The largest frost heaving pressure all occur near the foot of the inverted arch for the three kinds of lining. Thus, the test data basically coincide with the observed in situ data.

Pore pressure prediction in offshore Niger delta using data-driven approach: Implications on drilling and reservoir quality

Despite exploration and production success in Niger Delta,several failed wells have been encountered due to overpressures.Hence,it is very essential to understand the spatial distribution of pore pressure and the generating mechanisms in order to mitigate the pitfalls that might arise during drilling.This research provides estimates of pore pressure along three offshore wells using the Eaton's transit time method,multi-layer perceptron artificial neural network(MLP-ANN)and random forest regression(RFR)algorithms.Our results show that there are three pressure magnitude regimes:normal pressure zone(hydrostatic pressure),transition pressure zone(slightly above hydrostatic pressure),and over pressured zone(significantly above hydrostatic pressure).The top of the geopressured zone(2873 mbRT or 9425.853 ft)averagely marks the onset of overpressurization with the excess pore pressure above hydrostatic pressure(P∗)varying averagely along the three wells between 1.06−24.75 MPa.The results from the three methods are self-consistent with strong correlation between the Eaton's method and the two machine learning models.The models have high accuracy of about>97%,low mean absolute percentage error(MAPE<3%)and coefficient of determination(R2>0.98).Our results have also shown that the principal generating mechanisms responsible for high pore pressure in the offshore Niger Delta are disequilibrium compaction,unloading(fluid expansion)and shale diagenesis.

Influence of Perforation on Formation Fracturing Pressure

Hydraulic fracturing treatments of oil wells are greatly affected by the perforation parameters selected. The three-dimensional finite element model together with the tensile criterion of rock materials is employed to systematically investigate the influence of perforation parameters, such as perforation density, perforation orientation, perforation diameter, and perforation length as well as wellbore ellipticity, in vertical wells on the formation fracturing pressure. Based on a six-month simulation research in the University of Petroleum, China, several conclusions are drawn for the first time. Perforation density and perforation orientation angle are the most important parameters controlling the formation fracturing pressure. As the perforation density increases, the fracturing pressure decreases, not linearly but progressively. The fracturing pressure increases with the perforation orientation angle only when the angle is less than 45 degrees, and the relationship becomes very flat when the angle is 45 degrees. However, with regards to the perforation diameter and perforation length, their influences are much slighter. The wellbore ellipticity has a significant effect on the formation fracturing pressure. It is obvious that fracturing pressure increases linearly with the ellipticity of the wellbore.

Theory and application of rock burst prevention using deep hole high pressure hydraulic fracturing

In order to analyze the mechanism of deep hole high pressure hydraulic fracturing, nonlinear dynamic theory, damage mechanics, elastic-plastic mechanics are used, and the law of crack propagation and stress transfer under two deep hole hydraulic fracturing in tectonic stress areas is studied using seepage-stress coupling models with RFPA simulation software. In addition, the effects of rock burst control are tested using multiple methods, either in the stress field or in the energy field. The research findings show that with two deep holes hydraulic fracturing in tectonic stress areas, the direction of the main crack propagation under shear-tensile stress is parallel to the greatest principal stress direction. High-pressure hydraulic fracturing water seepage can result in the destruction of the coal structure, while also weakening the physical and mechanical properties of coal and rock. Therefore the impact of high stress concentration in hazardous areas will level off, which has an effect on rock burst prevention and control in the region.

Study on first caving fracture mechanism of overlying roof rock in steep thick coal seam

Based on the elastic plate theory, a mechanical model of thin plate for the first caving of overlying roof rock in steep mining face was established. The analytical solution of the deflection and stress distribution of roof rocks was obtained. According to the specific geological conditions of the 5-103 panel in Shanxi,the failure of roof rocks and the influence of seam dip on it during the exploitation were theoretically investigated. Meanwhile, the first caving characteristics of the overlying rock in the steep coal seam were investigated based on its stress contour. The results show that the dip angle has a distinct influence on the caving interval and the first caving interval for the 5-103 panel is 37 m in theory. Finally, a systematic monitoring on the behavior of rock pressures was conducted. The measured results agree well with the theoretical prediction, which provides a good reference for practical steep coal seam mining.

Dynamic fracture toughness of high strength metals under impact loading:increase or decrease

An elusive phenomenon is observed in previous investigations on dynamic fracture that the dynamic fracture toughness （DFT） of high strength metals always increases with the loading rate on the order of TPa.m1/2.s-1. For the purpose of verification, variation of DFT with the loading rate for two high strength steels commonly used in the aviation industry, 30CrMnSiA and 40Cr, is studied in this work. Results of the experiments are compared, which were conducted on the modified split Hopkinson pressure bar （SHPB） apparatus, with striker velocities ranging from 9.2 to 24.1 m/s and a constant value of 16.3 m/s for 30CrMnSiA and 40Cr, respectively. It is observed that for 30CrMnSiA, the crack tip loading rate increases with the increase of the striker velocity, while the fracture initiation time and the DFT simultaneously decrease. However, in the tests of 40Cr, there is also an increasing tendency of DFT, similar to other reports. Through an in-depth investigation on the relationship between the dynamic stress intensity factor （DSIF） and the loading rate, it is concluded that the generally increasing tendency in previous studies could be false, which is induced from a limited striker velocity domain and the errors existing in the experimental and numerical processes. To disclose the real dependency of DFT on the loading rate, experimentsneed to be performed in a comparatively large striker velocity range.

Rate decline analysis of multiple fractured horizontal well in shale reservoir with triple continuum

Multiple fractured horizontal well(MFHW) is widely applied in the development of shale gas. To investigate the gas flow characteristics in shale, based on a new dual mechanism triple continuum model, an analytical solution for MFHW surrounded by stimulated reservoir volume(SRV) was presented. Pressure and pressure derivative curves were used to identify the characteristics of flow regimes in shale. Blasingame type curves were established to evaluate the effects of sensitive parameters on rate decline curves, which indicates that the whole flow regimes could be divided into transient flow, feeding flow, and pseudo steady state flow. In feeding flow regime, the production of gas well is gradually fed by adsorbed gases in sub matrix, and free gases in matrix. The proportion of different gas sources to well production is determined by such parameters as storability ratios of triple continuum, transmissibility coefficients controlled by dual flow mechanism and fracture conductivity.

Modeling of fluid dynamics interacting with ductile fraction propagation in high pressure pipeline

This paper presents a computational model for the fluid dynamics in a fractured ductile pipe under high pressure. The pressure profile in front of the crack tip, which is the driving source of crack propagation, is computed using a nonlinear wave equation. The solution is coupled with a one dimensional choked flow analysis behind the crack. The simulation utilizes a high order optimized prefactored compact-finite volume method in space, and low dispersion and dissipation Runge-Kutta in time. As the pipe fractures the rapid depressurization take place inside the pipe and the propagation of the crack-induced waves strongly influences the outflow dynamics. Consistent with the experimental observation, the model predicts the expansion wave inside the pipe, and the reflection and outflow of the wave. The model also helps characterize the propagation of the crack dynamics and fluid flows around the tip of the crack.

The fracturing pressure prediction model for hydraulic fracturing treatment

The accurate prediction of fracturing pressure for pay zone is the very important guidance to hydraulic fracturing design and operation. The pore pressure around the wellbore happens to change variously as the fracturing fluid entering the pay zone. The change of pore pressure affects the stress-state and the fracturing pressure around the wellbore. In this paper, a new concept of the effective membrane pressure coefficient is presented according to the wall building capacity of the fracturing fluid, then the change of pore pressure around the wellbore is studied, and it is proven that the prediction model for fracturing pressure is improved.

Prediction of fracture initiation in cohesive soils based on data mining modelling and large-scale laboratory verification

Many empirical and analytical methods have been proposed to predict fracturing pressure in cohesive soils.Most of them take into account three to four specific influencing factors and rely on the assumption of a failure mode.In this study,a novel data-mining approach based on the XGBoost algorithm is investigated for predicting fracture initiation in cohesive soils.This has the advantage of handling multiple influencing factors simultaneously,without pre-determining a failure mode.A dataset of 416 samples consisting of 14 distinct features was herein collected from past studies,and used for developing a regressor and a classifier model for fracturing pressure prediction and failure mode classification respectively.The results show that the intrinsic characteristics of the soil govern the failure mode while the fracturing pressure is more sensitive to the stress state.The XGBoost-based model was also tested against conventional approaches,as well as a similar machine learning algorithm namely random forest model.Additionally,several large-scale triaxial fracturing tests and an in-situ case study were carried out to further verify the generalization ability and applicability of the proposed data mining approach,and the results indicate a superior performance of the XGBoost model.

CO_2 permeability of fractured coal subject to confining pressures and elevated temperature: Experiments and modeling

The CO_2 permeability of fractured coal is of great significance to both coalbed gas extraction and CO_2 storage in coal seams, but the effects of high confining pressure, high injection pressure and elevated temperature on the CO_2 permeability of fractured coal with different fracture extents have not been investigated thoroughly. In this paper, the CO_2 permeability of fractured coals sampled from a Pingdingshan coal mine in China and artificially fractured to a certain extent is investigated through undrained triaxial tests. The CO_2 permeability is measured under the confining pressure with a range of 10–25 MPa, injection pressure with a range of 6–12 MPa and elevated temperature with a range of 25–70°C. A mechanistic model is then proposed to characterize the CO_2 permeability of the fractured coals. The effects of thermal expansion, temperature-induced reduction of adsorption capacity, and thermal micro-cracking on the CO_2 permeability are explored. The test results show that the CO_2 permeability of naturally fractured coal saliently increases with increasing injection pressure. The increase of confining pressure reduces the permeability of both naturally fractured coal and secondarily fractured coal. It is also observed that initial fracturing by external loads can enhance the permeability, but further fracturing reduces the permeability. The CO_2 permeability decreases with the elevation of temperature if the temperature is lower than 44°C, but the permeability increases with temperature once the temperature is beyond 44°C. The mechanistic model well describes these compaction mechanisms induced by confining pressure, injection pressure and the complex effects induced by elevated temperature.

Difficulties and measures of driving super long piles in Bohai Gulf

Long piles of the ocean oil platform are usually manufactured as the integration of several segments, which have to be assembled one by one during installation. During pile driving, excessive pore pressure will build up in such a high level that hydraulic fracturing in the soil round the pile may take place, which will cause the soil to consolidate much faster during pile extension period. Consequently, after pile extension, the soil strength will recover to some extent and the driving resistance will increase considerably, which makes restarting driving the pile very difficult and even causes refusal. A finite element （FE） analysis procedure is presented for judging the risk of refusal by estimating the blow counts after pile extension, in which the regain of soil strength is considered. A case analysis in Bohai Gulf is performed using the proposed orocedure to exolain the nile refusal phenomenon.

Hydraulic fracturing pressure of concentric double-layered cylinder in cohesive soil

This study aims to investigate hydrofracturing in double-layered soil through theoretical and experimental analysis,as multilayered soils where the difference in mechanical properties exists are generally encountered in practical engineering.First,an analytical solution for fracturing pressure in two different concentric regions of soil was presented based on the cavity expansion theory.Then,several triaxial hydraulic fracturing tests were carried out to validate the analytical solution.The comparison between the experimental and analytical results indicates the remarkable accuracy of the derived formula,and the following conclusions were also obtained.First,there is a linear relationship between the fracturing pressure and confining pressure in concentric double-layered cohesive soil.Second,when the internal-layer soil is softer than the external-layer soil,the presence of internal soil on the fracturing pressure approximately brings the weakening effect,and the greater strength distinction between the two layers,the greater the weakening effect.Third,when the internal-layer soil is harder than the external-layer soil,the existence of the internal-layer soil has a strengthening effect on the fracturing pressure regardless of the proportion of internal-layer soil.Moreover,the influence of strength distinction between the two layers on the fracturing pressure is significant when the proportion of internal-layer soil is less than half,while it’s limited when the proportion is more than half.The proposed solution is potentially useful for geotechnical problems involving aspects of cohesive soil layering in a composite formation.

Experimental study on slurry-induced fracturing during shield tunneling

Facial support in slurry shield tunneling is provided by slurry pressure to balance the external earth and water pressure.Hydraulic fracturing may occur and cause a significant decrease in the support pressure if the slurry pressure exceeds the threshold of the soil or rock material,resulting in a serious face collapse accident.Preventing the occurrence of hydraulic fracturing in a slurry shield requires investigating the effects of related influencing factors on the hydraulic fracturing pressure and fracture pattern.In this study,a hydraulic fracturing apparatus was developed to test the slurry-induced fracturing of cohesive soil.The effects of different sample parameters and loading conditions,including types of holes,unconfined compressive strength,slurry viscosity,and axial and circumferential loads,on the fracturing pressure and fracture dip were examined.The results indicate that the fracture dip is mainly affected by the deviator stress.The fracturing pressure increases linearly with the increase in the circumferential pressure,but it is almost independent of the axial pressure.The unconfined compressive strength of soil can reflect its ability to resist fracturing failure.The fracturing pressure increases with an increase in the unconfined compressive strength as well as the slurry viscosity.Based on the test results,an empirical approach was proposed to estimate the fracturing pressure of the soil.