Application of the results of three-dimensional hydro-geomechanical modeling to determine the azimuths of hydraulic fractures

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of determining the spatial orientation of the hydraulic fracture for hydrodynamic modeling. As a rule, the choice of the fracture strike azimuth is based on data obtained from the interpretation results of cross-dipole acoustic logging recorded for monitoring the fracturing operation. Due to changes in reservoir pressure, the expected and actual directions of the created fracture may differ, which must be taken into account when adapting and predicting the field development indices on the hydrodynamic model. The purpose of the paper is to calculate the influence of reservoir pressure on the fracture azimuth and, accordingly, on the field development indicators by constructing a combined hydro-geomechanical model that can later be used to select the optimal strategy for producing reserves. The reservoirs stressed state change, caused by the increase or decrease in reservoir pressure, is considered by the case of an oil reservoir located in the Orenburg region. Constructed geomechanical model of the selected sector includes the cubes of reservoir stresses at the initial date, the mechanical properties of the rock and faults in the productive formation. The dependence of the values of the angle on the formation pressure is constructed and the prediction calculations are carried out on the hydrodynamic model. The validity of the direction calculation is assessed by comparison with actual microimager data. As a result of work for the selected sector of the field, a hydro-geomechanical model is constructed, which makes it possible to obtain a forecast for the development of the hydraulic fracturing during the reservoir development.