三维空间水力裂缝与天然裂缝相交扩展模型

Fracture propagation model accounting for intersection among hydraulic fractures and natural fractures in three-dimensional space

  • 摘要: 非常规油气储层发育大量的天然裂缝,导致水力压裂过程裂缝扩展形态复杂,搞清水力裂缝与天然裂缝在三维空间内的相交扩展力学机理对预测压裂裂缝形态和压裂改造效果至关重要。针对水力裂缝与天然裂缝相交后的裂缝扩展形态预测问题,通过对三维空间水力裂缝和天然裂缝进行受力分析,考虑水力裂缝尖端诱导应力场、地应力场和流体压力的影响,以三维空间水力裂缝穿透天然裂缝扩展和沿天然裂缝面的空间滑移扩展为判据,建立水力裂缝与天然裂缝相交扩展力学模型,探究水力裂缝与天然裂缝相交后的裂缝扩展情况。应用模型计算表明:地层水平应力差和逼近角共同影响裂缝扩展,水平应力差较大、大逼进角相交更容易形成简单穿透裂缝,逼进角较小时天然裂缝更倾向于发生滑移扩展;当天然裂缝倾角较大时,水力裂缝更易于穿透天然裂缝扩展并沿天然裂缝发生滑移,而当天然裂缝倾角较小时,水力裂缝更倾向于不穿透天然裂缝扩展;天然裂缝是否发生滑移受交汇处流体压力的影响显著,流体压力增大,作用于天然裂缝面上正应力的降低使天然裂缝更易于发生滑移扩展。建立三维空间水力裂缝与天然裂缝相交扩展新模型,不但考虑了压裂液流体压力的影响,还能够分析天然裂缝可能发生的空间滑移扩展,研究成果很好地弥补了现有三维空间水力裂缝与天然裂缝相交扩展理论方法的不足。

     

    Abstract: Due to development of a large number of natural fractures in unconventional gas and oil reservoirs, the fracture expansion patterns during hydraulic fracturing are complicated. It is crucial to clarify the intersecting and expanding mechanical mechanisms among hydraulic fractures and natural fractures in three-dimensional space to predict the fracture patterns and fracturing stimulation effects. Aiming at the prediction of fractures extension patterns after the intersection of hydraulic fracture and natural fracture, based on force analysis for hydraulic and natural fractures in three-dimensional space, considering geo-stress field, induced stress field at the tip of hydraulic fractures and fluid pressure, and taking the hydraulic fracture penetrates or slides along the surface of natural cracks as the criterion, a mechanical model was established for fracture propagation accounting for the intersection of natural and hydraulic fractures. The modeling results show that: fracture propagation is affected by the joint effects of horizontal stress difference and the approaching angle, under the condition of high stress difference and large approaching angle, a simple penetrating fracture is tended to form, while with a small approaching angle natural fractures tend to sliding extension. When the inclination angle of natural fracture is large, it is easier for the hydraulic fractures to penetrate through the natural fractures then slipping propagate along the natural fractures, and when the inclination is small, hydraulic fracture is more inclined to remain do not penetrate the natural fracture. The slipping propagation for natural fracture is significantly affected by the injection rate of fracturing fluid. When the fluid pressure of fracturing grows, the positive stress at the natural fracture surface decreases correspondingly, which is more likely to induce a slipping propagation for natural fracture. The new model of intersecting extension of three-dimensional space hydraulic fracture and natural fracture established not only considers the influence of fracturing fluid pressure, but also analyzes the possible spatial slip extension of natural fracture, and the research results make up for the inadequacy of the existing theoretical methods of intersecting extension of three-dimensional space natural fracture and hydraulic fracture well.

     

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