矿区注水压裂诱发断层活化及震动响应机制试验

Experimental investigation of fault reactivation mechanism and related seismic responses induced by hydraulic fracturing in mining areas

  • 摘要: 矿区断层活化诱发冲击地压与矿震危害大,地面注水压裂作为调控断层活化减震技术极具潜力,但其诱发断层活化/滑移的力学驱动过程及其震动响应规律尚不明确。以注水压裂钻孔与断面连通和不连通2种现场工况为研究背景,开展了真三轴应力条件下注水压裂诱发断面滑移试验研究。首先,制备断面倾角45°、注水压裂钻孔与断面连通和不连通2种断面试样,尺寸为150 mm×150 mm×150 mm;然后,采用自主研发的真三轴应力加载系统模拟临界断面滑移应力环境,其中,连通试样应力环境为10、12、20 MPa,不连通试样为5、6、10 MPa;试验期间,全程监测断面滑移位移、注水速率、注水压力、声发射等参数,试验结束后采用CT技术对不连通试样进行三维裂隙扫描;最后,结合声发射时空分布、震源机制反演、CT扫描探测、力学机制等分析,证实了孔隙压力主导型和孔隙弹性耦合主导型2种注水压裂诱发断层活化/滑移的力学机理及其震动响应规律。结果表明:注水压裂全程可产生孔隙弹性耦合主导型断层滑移,期间在注水初期孔底部产生应力集中形成初始裂隙,然后压裂裂隙沿初始裂隙扩展,并沿垂直于断面切向应力方向发育延伸,直至与断面贯通诱发孔隙压力主导型断层滑移;断层滑移的震源类型主要表现为压缩剪切型,注水压裂破坏的震源类型主要表现为拉伸剪切型,对应的声发射事件均主要分布在断面及注水孔底附近;断层摩擦因数随着注水速率的变化会产生及时响应,以维持断层稳态滑移,且随着注水速率的增加呈现出先增加后减小的规律,验证了注水速率调控断层滑移速率的可行性,同时,分析得出低渗透地层调控断层滑移采用断层直接注水效果更好,高渗透地层采用注水压裂调控效果更优。研究结果可为断层附近注水压裂及其诱发断层活化/滑移信号的震动类型识别与诱发地震调控提供参考。

     

    Abstract: Fault reactivation in mining areas can cause significant hazards, including rock bursts and mining-induced seismic events. Water injection and fracturing shows a great potential for fault reactivation regulation and seismicity mitigation. However, the mechanical driving processes of fault reactivation induced by water injection and fracturing and the associated seismic response patterns remain unclear. An investigation is conducted into fault slip induced by hydraulic fracturing under true triaxial stress conditions. Two field scenarios are considered: The water injection borehole either connects or disconnects with the fault plane. Initially, two types of 45°-inclined fault specimens were prepared: connected and disconnected specimens, both measuring 150 mm × 150 mm × 150 mm. A self-developed true triaxial stress loading system was used to simulate critically stressed fault, with stress conditions of 10, 12, 20 MPa for the connected specimens, and 5, 6, 10 MPa for the disconnected ones. During the experimental process, parameters including fault slip displacement, water injection rate, water injection pressure, and acoustic emissions (AE) were continuously monitored and recorded. Additionally, the three-dimension CT scan was employed to observe internal cracks development for the post-fracturing disconnected specimens. By analyzing the spatiotemporal distribution of AE events, focal mechanisms, CT scan results, and mechanical processes, the pore pressure-dominated and poroelastic coupling-dominated mechanisms of fault reactivation/slip induced by hydraulic fracturing are confirmed, along with associated seismic response patterns. Results show that poroelastic coupling-dominated fault slips can be induced during the whole hydraulic fracturing process. In the initial stage, fractures initiates at the bottom of borehole due to stress concentration, which then propagate along with the initial fractures and develop in the direction perpendicular to the tangential stress, until intersect with fault plane and resultantly induce pore pressure-dominated fault slip. The main focal mechanism of fault slip is compressive-shear, whereas that of hydraulic fracturing damage is tensile-shear. Their corresponding AE events are both mainly distributed near the fault plane and the bottom of borehole. The fault friction coefficient promptly responds to changes in water injection rates, so as to maintain the stable fault slip. Such response shows an increase in the first and then decrease with the increase of water injection rates, which indicates a feasibility of regulating fault slip rates via injection rate control. Moreover, direct water injection into faults proves to be more effective for fault slip regulation in low-permeability formations, whereas hydraulic fracturing works better in high-permeability formations. These findings could provide important insights for seismic signal identification induced by hydraulic fracturing near faults and for induced seismicity regulation.

     

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