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Interference fracturing: Nonuniform distributions of perforation clusters that promote simultaneous growth of multiple hydraulic fractures

Peirce, AP and Bunger, AP (2015) Interference fracturing: Nonuniform distributions of perforation clusters that promote simultaneous growth of multiple hydraulic fractures. SPE Journal, 20 (2). 384 - 395. ISSN 1086-055X

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Abstract

One of the important hurdles in horizontal-well stimulation is the generation of hydraulic fractures (HFs) from all perforation clusters within a given stage, despite the challenges posed by stress shadowing and reservoir variability. In this paper, we use a newly developed, fully coupled, parallel-planar 3D HF model to investigate the potential to minimize the negative impact of stress shadowing and thereby to promote more-uniform fracture growth across an array of HFs by adjusting the location of the perforation clusters. In this model, the HFs are assumed to evolve in an array of parallel planes with full 3D stress coupling while the constant fluid influx into the wellbore is dynamically partitioned to each fracture so that the wellbore pressure is the same throughout the array. The model confirms the phenomenon of inner-fracture suppression because of stress shadowing when the perforation clusters are uniformly distributed. Indeed, the localization of the fracture growth to the outer fractures is so dominant that the total fractured area generated by uniform arrays is largely independent of the number of perforation clusters. However, numerical experiments indicate that certain nonuniform cluster spacings promote a profound improvement in the even development of fracture growth. Identifying this effect relies on this new model's ability to capture the full hydrodynamical coupling between the simultaneously evolving HFs in their transition from radial to Perkins-Kern-Nordgren (PKN)-like geometries (Perkins and Kern 1961; Nordgren 1972).

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Details

Item Type: Article
Status: Published
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Peirce, AP
Bunger, APBUNGER@pitt.eduBUNGER0000-0002-0696-7066
Centers: Other Centers, Institutes, Offices, or Units > Center for Energy
Date: 1 April 2015
Date Type: Publication
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Journal or Publication Title: SPE Journal
Volume: 20
Number: 2
Page Range: 384 - 395
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.2118/172500-pa
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Swanson School of Engineering > Chemical Engineering
Swanson School of Engineering > Civil and Environmental Engineering
Refereed: No
ISSN: 1086-055X
Date Deposited: 04 Dec 2013 15:59
Last Modified: 30 Mar 2021 12:55
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/20001

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