A 3D analysis of the occurrence of fractures in hot dry rock reservoirs based on the spatial distribution of natural fractures

Hot dry rock(HDR)geothermal energy is a kind of widely distributed clean energy with huge reserves.However,its commercial development has been constrained by reservoir stimulation.In the early stage of HDR geothermal energy development,properly determining spatial distribution patterns of natural fractures in HDR reservoirs can effectively guide reservoir stimulation.This study analyzes the spatial distribution of natural fractures by using FracMan software based on the actual geological data and log data of well M-2 in the Matouying Uplift area,Hebei Province.The fracture parameters are counted and Monte Carlo simulation technique is introduced to optimize the parameters,which makes the natural fracture model more accurate and reliable.Furthermore,this study simulates hydraulic fracturing using the model combined with the actual in-situ stress parameters and the construction scheme.As verified by fitting the changes in simulated wellhead pressure during hydraulic fracturing with the actual wellhead pressure data detected during construction,the methods for natural fracture modeling used in this study are scientific and reasonable.The preliminary prediction results show that the displacement design scheme with a pump displacement of 2.0-3.0 m^(3)/min,4.0-5.5 m^(3)/min and 6-7 m^(3)/min in the early,middle and late stages,respectively,has good fracturing effect.The results of this study can be utilized as a reference for preparing development schemes for HDR reservoirs.

A review of pressure transient analysis in reservoirs with natural fractures,vugs and/or caves

A review of the pressure transient analysis of flow in reservoirs having natural fractures,vugs and/or caves is presented to provide an insight into how much knowledge has been acquired about this phenomenon and to highlight the gaps still open for further research.A comparison-based approach is adopted which involved the review of works by several authors and identifying the limiting assumptions,model restrictions and applicability.Pressure transient analysis provides information to aid the identification of important features of reservoirs.It also provides an explanation to complex reservoir pressuredependent variations which have led to improved understanding and optimization of the reservoir dynamics.Pressure transient analysis techniques,however,have limitations as not all its models find application in naturally fractured and vuggy reservoirs as the flow dynamics differ considerably.Pollard’s model presented in 1953 provided the foundation for existing pressure transient analysis in these types of reservoirs,and since then,several authors have modified this basic model and come up with more accurate models to characterize the dynamic pressure behavior in reservoirs with natural fractures,vugs and/or caves,with most having inherent limitations.This paper summarizes what has been done,what knowledge is considered established and the gaps left to be researched on.

Evaluating the mechanical properties of anisotropic shale containing bedding and natural fractures with discrete element modeling

Natural fracture data from one of the Carboniferous shale masses in the eastern Qaidam Basin were used to establish a stochastic model of a discrete fracture network and to perform discrete element simulation research on the size efect and mechanical parameters of shale.Analytical solutions of fctitious joints in transversely isotropic media were derived,which made it possible for the proposed numerical model to simulate the bedding and natural fractures in shale masses.The results indicate that there are two main factors infuencing the representative elementary volume(REV)size of a shale mass.The frst and most decisive factor is the presence of natural fractures in the block itself.The second is the anisotropy ratio:the greater the anisotropy is,the larger the REV.The bedding angle has little infuence on the REV size,whereas it has a certain infuence on the mechanical parameters of the rock mass.When the bedding angle approaches the average orientation of the natural fractures,the mechanical parameters of the shale blocks decrease greatly.The REV representing the mechanical properties of the Carboniferous shale masses in the eastern Qaidam Basin were comprehensively identifed by considering the infuence of bedding and natural fractures.When the numerical model size is larger than the REV,the fractured rock mass discontinuities can be transformed into equivalent continuities,which provides a method for simulating shale with natural fractures and bedding to analyze the stability of a borehole wall in shale.

Experimental verification of parameter m in Hoeke-Brown failure criterion considering the effects of natural fractures

HoekeBrown failure criterion is one of the widely used rock strength criteria in rock mechanics and mining engineering.Based on the theoretical expression of HoekeBrown parameter m of an intact rock,the parameter m has been modified by crack parameters for fractured rocks.In this paper,the theoretical value range and theoretical expression form of the parameter m in HoekeBrown failure criterion were discussed.A critical crack parameter B was defined to describe the influence of the critical crack when the stress was at the peak,while a parameter b was introduced to represent the distribution of the average initial fractures.The parameter m of a fractured rock contained the influences of critical crack(B),confining pressure(s3)and initial fractures(b).Then the triaxial test on naturally fractured limestones was conducted to verify the modification of the parameter m.From the ultrasonic test and loading test results of limestones,the parameter m can be obtained,which indicated that the confining pressure at a high level reduced the differences of m among all the specimens.The confining pressure s3 had an exponential impact on m,while the critical crack parameter B had a negative correlation with m.Then the expression of m for a naturally fractured limestone was also proposed.

Characterization of natural fractures in deep-marine shales: a case study of the Wufeng and Longmaxi shale in the Luzhou Block Sichuan Basin, China

Natural fractures are of crucial importance for oil and gas reservoirs,especially for those with ultralow permeability and porosity.The deep-marine shale gas reservoirs of the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations are typical targets for the study of natural fracture characteristics.Detailed descriptions of full-diameter shale drill core,together with 3D Computed Tomography scans and Formation MicroScanner Image data acquisition,were carried out to characterize microfracture morphology in order to obtain the key parameters of natural fractures in such system.The fracture type,orientation,and their macroscopic and microscopic distribution features are evaluated.The results show that the natural fracture density appears to remarkably decrease in the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations with increasing the burial depth.Similar trends have been observed for fracture length and aperture.Moreover,the natural fracture density diminishes as the formation thickness increases.There are three main types of natural fractures,which we interpret as(I)mineral-filled fractures(by pyrite and calcite),i.e.,veins,(II)those induced by tectonic stress,and(III)those formed by other processes(including diagenetic shrinkage and fluid overpressure).Natural fracture orientations estimated from the studied natural fractures in the Luzhou block are not consistent with the present-day stress field.The difference in tortuosity between horizontally and vertically oriented fractures reveals their morphological complexity.In addition,natural fracture density,host rock formation thickness,average total organic carbon and effective porosity are found to be important factors for evaluating shale gas reservoirs.The study also reveals that the high density of natural fractures is decisive to evaluate the shale gas potential.The results may have significant implications for evaluating favorable exploration areas of shale gas reservoirs and can be applied to optimize hydraulic fracturing for permeability enhancement.

Borehole stability in naturally fractured rocks with drilling mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening:A coupled DFN-DEM approach

Borehole instability in naturally fractured rocks poses significant challenges to drilling.Drilling mud invades the surrounding formations through natural fractures under the difference between the wellbore pressure(P w)and pore pressure(P p)during drilling,which may cause wellbore instability.However,the weakening of fracture strength due to mud intrusion is not considered in most existing borehole stability analyses,which may yield significant errors and misleading predictions.In addition,only limited factors were analyzed,and the fracture distribution was oversimplified.In this paper,the impacts of mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening on borehole stability in fractured rocks under both isotropic and anisotropic stress states are investigated using a coupled DEM(distinct element method)and DFN(discrete fracture network)method.It provides estimates of the effect of fracture strength weakening,wellbore pressure,in situ stresses,and sealing efficiency on borehole stability.The results show that mud intrusion and weakening of fracture strength can damage the borehole.This is demonstrated by the large displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on natural fractures,and the generation of fracture at shear limit.Mud intrusion reduces the shear strength of the fracture surface and leads to shear failure,which explains that the increase in mud weight may worsen borehole stability during overbalanced drilling in fractured formations.A higher in situ stress anisotropy exerts a significant influence on the mechanism of shear failure distribution around the wellbore.Moreover,the effect of sealing natural fractures on maintaining borehole stability is verified in this study,and the increase in sealing efficiency reduces the radial invasion distance of drilling mud.This study provides a directly quantitative prediction method of borehole instability in naturally fractured formations,which can consider the discrete fracture network,mud intrusion,and associated weakening of fracture strength.The information provided by the numerical approach(e.g.displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on fracture,and fracture at shear limit)is helpful for managing wellbore stability and designing wellbore-strengthening operations.

Influence of Natural Fractures on Tight Oil Migration and Production: A Case Study of Permian Lucaogou Formation in Jimsar Sag, Junggar Basin, NW China

Natural fractures,as the main flow channels and important storage spaces,have significant effects on the migration,distribution,and accumulation of tight oil.According to outcrop,core,formation micro image(FMI),cast-thin-section,and scanning electron microscopy data from the tight reservoir within the Permian Lucaogou Formation of the Junggar Basin,tectonic fractures are prevalent in this formation mainly on micro to large scale.There are two types of fractures worth noticing:diagenetic fractures and overpressure-related fractures,primarily at micro to medium scale.The diagenetic fractures consist of bedding fractures,stylolites,intragranular fractures,grain-boundary fractures,and diagenetic shrinkage fractures.Through FMI interpretation and Monte Carlo method evaluation,the macro-fractures could be considered as migration channels,and the micro-fractures as larger pore throats that function as storage spaces.The bedding fractures formed earlier than all tectonic fractures,while the overpressure-related fractures formed in the Middle and Late Jurassic.The bedding fractures and stylolites function as the primary channels for horizontal migration of tight oil.The tectonic fractures can provide vertical migration channels and reservoir spaces for tight oil,and readjust the tight oil distribution.The overpressure-related fractures are fully filled with calcite,and hence,have little effect on hydrocarbon migration and storage capacity.The data on tight oil production shows that the density and aperture of fractures jointly determine the productivity of a tight reservoir.

Failure Patterns and Mechanisms of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation Behavior in the Presence of Naturally Cemented Fractures

In this study,we use the extended finite element method(XFEM)with a consideration of junction enrichment functions to investigate the mechanics of hydraulic fractures related to naturally cemented fractures.In the proposed numerical model,the lubrication equation is adopted to describe the fluid flow within fractures.The fluid-solid coupling systems of the hydraulic fracturing problem are solved using the Newton-Raphson method.The energy release rate criterion is used to determine the cross/arrest behavior between a hydraulic fracture(HF)and a cemented natural fracture(NF).The failure patterns and mechanisms of crack propagation at the intersection of natural fractures are discussed.Simulation results show that after crossing an NF,the failure mode along the cemented NF path may change from the tensile regime to the shear or mixed-mode regime.When an advancing HF kinks back toward the matrix,the failure mode may gradually switch back to the tensile-dominated regime.Key factors,including the length of the upper/lower portion of the cemented NF,horizontal stress anisotropy,and the intersection angle of the crack propagation are investigated in detail.An uncemented or partially cemented NF will form a more complex fracture network than a cemented NF.This study provides insight into the formation mechanism of fracture networks in formations that contain cemented NF.

The role of natural fracture activation in hydraulic fracturing for deep unconventional geo-energy reservoir stimulation

The presence of sealed or semi-sealed,multiscale natural fracture systems appears to be crucial for the successful stimulation of deep reservoirs.To explore the reaction of such systems to reservoir stimulation,a new numerical simulation approach for hydraulic stimulation has been developed,trying to establish a realistic model of the physics involved.Our new model successfully reproduces dynamic fracture activation,network generation,and overall reservoir permeability enhancement.Its outputs indicate that natural fractures facilitate stimulation far beyond the near-wellbore area,and can significantly improve the hydraulic conductivity of unconventional geo-energy reservoirs.According to our model,the fracture activation patterns are jointly determined by the occurrence of natural fractures and the in situ stress.High-density natural fractures,high-fluid pressure,and low effective stress environments promote the formation of complex fracture networks during stimulation.Multistage or multicluster fracturing treatments with an appropriate spacing also increase the stimulated reservoir area(SRA).The simulation scheme demonstrated in this work offers the possibility to elucidate the complex multiphysical couplings seen in the field through detailed site-specific modeling.

Natural fractures within unconventional reservoirs of Linxing Block,eastern Ordos Basin,central China

Unconventional reservoirs are generally characterized by low matrix porosity and permeability,in which natural fractures are important factors for gas production.In this study,we analyzed characteristics of natural fractures,and their influencing factors based on observations from outcrops,cores and image logs.The orientations of natural fractures were mainly in the∼N-S,WNW-ESE and NE-SW directions with relatively high fracture dip angles.Fracture densities were calculated based on fracture measurements within cores,indicating that natural fractures were not well-developed in the Benxi-Upper Shihezi Formations of Linxing Block.The majority of natural fractures were open fractures and unfilled.According to the characteristics of fracture sets and tectonic evolution of the study area,natural fractures in the Linxing Block were mainly formed in the Yanshanian and Himalayan periods.The lithology and layer thickness influenced the development of natural fractures,and more natural fractures were generated in carbonate rocks and thin layers in the study area.In addition,in the Linxing Block,natural fractures with∼N-S-trending strikes contributed little to the overall subsurface fluid flow under the present-day stress state.These study results provide a geological basis for gas exploration and development in the Linxing unconventional reservoirs of Ordos Basin.

Study on interaction between induced and natural fractures by extended finite element method

Fracking is one of the kernel technologies in the remarkable shale gas revolution. The extended finite element method is used in this paper to numerically investigate the interaction between hydraulic and natural fractures, which is an important issue of the enigmatic fracture network formation in fracking. The criteria which control the opening of natural fracture and crossing of hydraulic fracture are tentatively presented. Influence factors on the interaction process are systematically analyzed, which include the approach angle, anisotropy of in-situ stress and fluid pressure profile.

General criterion for intersection between hydraulic induced fractures and pre-existing natural fractures

Pre-existing natural fractures and other structurally weak planes are usually well-developed in unconventional reservoirs.When such fractures intersect with hydraulic induced fractures,they will redirect and propagate as an important mechanical principle of volume fracturing by the formation of complex fracture networks.Under the shadow effect of natural fractures and other structurally weak planes with hydraulic supported fracture stress,hydraulic fractures do not fully propagate in the direction of the maximum horizontal-principal-stress.This paper computed the stress intensity factors of hydraulic fracture types I and II by integrating the various interactions,established universally-applicable mechanical principles for the propagation behavior when a hydraulic fracture propagating in an arbitrary direction intersects with a natural fracture at an arbitrary angle,and demonstrated the mechanical principles of the intersection between hydraulic induced fractures and pre-existing natural fractures.This study proved the following conclusions:as the intersection angle between the hydraulic fracture and the maximum horizontal-principal-stress increased,the possibility of the hydraulic fracture being captured by the natural fracture with an identical approaching angle first increased and then decreased;as the net stress increased,the intersection behavior between the hydraulic fracture and the natural fracture transitioned from penetration to capture.

Efficient production optimization for naturally fractured reservoir using EDFM

Naturally fractured reservoirs make important contributions to global oil and gas reserves and production.The modeling and simulation of naturally fractured reservoirs are different from conventional reservoirs as the existence of natural fractures.To address the development optimization problem of naturally fractured reservoirs,we propose an optimization workflow by coupling the optimization methods with the embedded discrete fracture model(EDFM).Firstly,the effective and superior performance of the workflow is verified based on the conceptual model.The stochastic simplex approximate gradient(StoSAG)algorithm,the ensemble optimization(EnOpt)algorithm,and the particle swarm optimization(PSO)algorithm are implemented for the production optimization of naturally fractured reservoirs based on the improved versions of the Egg model and the PUNQ-S3 model.The results of the two cases demonstrate the effectiveness of this optimization workflow by finding the optimal well controls which yield the maximum net present value(NPV).Compared to the initial well control guess,the final NPV obtained from the production optimization of fractured reservoirs based on all three optimization algorithms is significantly enhanced.Compared with the optimization results of the PSO algorithm,StoSAG and EnOpt have significant advantages in terms of final NPV and computational efficiency.The results also show that fractures have a significant impact on reservoir production.The economic efficiency of fractured reservoir development can be significantly improved by the optimization workflow.

Numerical Modeling of Natural Fracture Distributions in Shale

The production efficiency of shale gas is affected by the interaction between hydraulic and natural fractures.This study presents a simulation of natural fractures in shale reservoirs,based on a discrete fracture network(DFN)method for hydraulic fracturing engineering.Fracture properties of the model are calculated from core fracture data,according to statistical mathematical analysis.The calculation results make full use of the quantitative information of core fracture orientation,density,opening and length,which constitute the direct and extensive data of mining engineering.The reliability and applicability of the model are analyzed with regard to model size and density,a calculation method for dominant size and density being proposed.Then,finite element analysis is applied to a hydraulic fracturing numerical simulation of a shale fractured reservoir in southeastern Chongqing.The hydraulic pressure distribution,fracture propagation,acoustic emission information and in situ stress changes during fracturing are analyzed.The results show the application of fracture statistics in fracture modeling and the influence of fracture distribution on hydraulic fracturing engineering.The present analysis may provide a reference for shale gas exploitation.

Complex fracture propagation model and plugging timing optimization for temporary plugging fracturing in naturally fractured shale

In this paper,a viscoelasticity-plastic damage constitutive equation for naturally fractured shale is deduced,coupling nonlinear tensile-shear mixed fracture mode.Dynamic perforation-erosion on fluid re-distribution among multi-clusters are considered as well.DFN-FEM(discrete fracture network combined with finite element method)was developed to simulate the multi-cluster complex fractures propagation within temporary plugging fracturing(TPF).Numerical results are matched with field injection and micro-seismic monitoring data.Based on geomechanical characteristics of Weiyuan deep shale gas reservoir in Sichuan Basin,SW China,a multi-cluster complex fractures propagation model is built for TPF.To study complex fractures propagation and the permeability-enhanced region evolution,intersecting and competition mechanisms between the fractures before and after TPF treatment are revealed.Simulation results show that:fracture from middle cluster is restricted by the fractures from side-clusters,and side-clusters plugging is benefit for multi fractures propagation in uniformity;optimized TPF timing should be delayed within a higher density or strike of natural fractures;Within a reservoir-featured natural fractures distribution,optimized TPF timing for most clustered method is 2/3 of total fluid injection time as the optimal plugging time under different clustering modes.

Mechanisms of fracture propagation from multi-cluster using a phase field based HMD coupling model in fractured reservoir

Natural fractures(NFs)are common in shale and tight reservoirs,where staged multi-cluster fracturing of horizontal wells is a prevalent technique for reservoir stimulation.While NFs and stress interference are recognized as significant factors affecting hydraulic fracture(HF)propagation,the combined influence of these factors remains poorly understood.To address this knowledge gap,a novel coupled hydromechanical-damage(HMD)model based on the phase field method is developed to investigate the propagation of multi-cluster HFs in fractured reservoirs.The comprehensive energy functional and control functions are established,while incorporating dynamic fluid distribution between multiple perforation clusters and refined changes in rock mechanical parameters during hydraulic fracturing.The HMD coupled multi-cluster HF propagation model investigates various scenarios,including single HF and single NF,reservoir heterogeneity,single HF and NF clusters,and multi-cluster HFs with NF clusters.The results show that the HMD coupling model can accurately capture the impact of approach angle(θ),stress difference and cementation strength on the interaction of HF and NF.The criterion of the open and cross zones is not fixed.The NF angle(a)is not a decisive parameter to discriminate the interaction.According to the relationship between approach angle(θ)and NF angle(a),the contact relationship of HF can be divided into three categories(θ=a,θ<a,andθ>a).The connected NF can increase the complexity of HF by inducing it to form branch fracture,resulting in a fractal dimension of HF as high as2.1280 at angles of±45°.Inter-fracture interference from the heel to the toe of HF shows the phenomenon of no,strong and weak interference.Interestingly,under the influence of NFs,distant HFs from the injection can become dominant fractures.However,as a gradually increases,inter-fracture stress interference becomes the primary factor influencing HF propagation,gradually superseding the dominance of NF induced fractures.

Modeling flow in naturally fractured reservoirs： effect of fracture aperture distribution on dominant sub-network for flow

Fracture network connectivity and aperture （or conductivity） distribution are two crucial features controlling flow behavior of naturally fractured reservoirs. The effect of connectivity on flow properties is well documented. In this paper, however, we focus here on the influence of fracture aperture distribution. We model a two dimensional fractured reservoir in which the matrix is impermeable and the fractures are well connected. The fractures obey a power-law length distribution, as observed in natural fracture networks. For the aperture distribution, since the information from subsurface fracture networks is limited, we test a number of cases： log-normal distributions （from narrow to broad）, power-law distributions （from narrow to broad）, and one case where the aperture is pro- portional to the fracture length. We find that even a well- connected fracture network can behave like a much sparser network when the aperture distribution is broad enough （c~ 〈 2 for power-law aperture distributions and σ ≥ 0.4 for log-normal aperture distributions）. Specifically, most fractures can be eliminated leaving the remaining dominant sub-network with 90% of the permeability of the original fracture network. We determine how broad the aperture distribution must be to approach this behavior and the dependence of the dominant sub-network on the parameters of the aperture distribution. We also explore whether one can identify the dominant sub-network without doing flow calculations.

Naturally fractured hydrocarbon reservoir simulation by elastic fracture modeling

Accurate fluid flow simulation in geologically complex reservoirs is of particular importance in construction of reservoir simulators.General approaches in naturally fractured reservoir simulation involve use of unstructured grids or a structured grid coupled with locally unstructured grids and discrete fracture models.These methods suffer from drawbacks such as lack of flexibility and of ease of updating.In this study,I combined fracture modeling by elastic gridding which improves flexibility,especially in complex reservoirs.The proposed model revises conventional modeling fractures by hard rigid planes that do not change through production.This is a dubious assumption,especially in reservoirs with a high production rate in the beginning.The proposed elastic fracture modeling considers changes in fracture properties,shape and aperture through the simulation.This strategy is only reliable for naturally fractured reservoirs with high fracture permeability and less permeable matrix and parallel fractures with less cross-connections.Comparison of elastic fracture modeling results with conventional modeling showed that these assumptions will cause production pressure to enlarge fracture apertures and change fracture shapes,which consequently results in lower production compared with what was previously assumed.It is concluded that an elastic gridded model could better simulate reservoir performance.

A method to experimentally investigate injection-induced activation of fractures

Natural fractures are generally well developed in most hydrocarbon and geothermal reservoirs,which can produce complex fracture networks due to the activation of fractures during hydraulic stimulation.The present paper is devoted to developing a method to investigate the activation characteristics of fracture under injection-shearing coupled condition at laboratory scale.The fluid is injected into the single-fractured granite until the fracture is activated based on the triaxial direct shear tests.The results show that injection process can significantly influence the shear stress distribution field,resulting in release of shear stress and relative slip between the opposite sides of the fractured surface.The injectioninduced activation of fracture is strongly dependent on the stress states.When the normal stress increases,the injection-induced activation pressure increases,and the comparatively high normal stress can restrain the fracture activation.The fracture deformation mechanisms during fluid injection are also discussed preliminarily with the experimental data.The sensitivity of shear stress to fluid injection increases with increase of shear stress level,while it decreases under high normal stress.The results can facilitate our understanding of the natural fracture activation behavior during fluid pressure stimulation.

A Review of the Dynamic Modeling Approaches for Characterizing Fluid Flow in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

Fluid flow in fractured media has been studied for decades and received considerable attention in the oil and gas industry because of the high productivity of naturally fractured reservoirs.Due to formation complexity and reservoir heterogeneity,characterizing fluid flow with an appropriate reservoir model presents a challenging task that differs relatively from homogeneous conventional reservoirs in many aspects of view,including geological,petrophysical,production,and economics.In most fractured reservoirs,fracture networks create complex pathways that affect hydrocarbon flow,well performance,hence reservoir characterization.A better and comprehensive understanding of the available reservoir modeling approaches is much needed to accurately characterize fluid flow behavior in NFRs.Therefore,in this paper,a perspective review of the available modeling approaches was presented for fluid flow characterization in naturally fractured medium.Modeling methods were evaluated in terms of their description,application,advantages,and disadvantages.This study has also included the applications of these reservoir models in fluid flow characterizing studies and governing equations for fluid flow.Dual continuum models were proved to be better than single continuum models in the presence of large scale fractures.In comparison,discrete models were more appropriate for reservoirs that contain a smaller number of fractures.However,hybrid modeling was the best method to provide accurate and scalable fluid flow modeling.It is our understanding that this paper will bridge the gap between the fundamental understanding and application of NFRs modeling approaches and serve as a useful reference for engineers and researchers for present and future applications.