Effective stress history and the potential for seismicity associated with hydraulic fracturing of shale reservoirs

Abstract

The influence of effective stress history on reservoir stability and the response to hydraulic fracturing are simulated for two hypothetical shale reservoirs. It is numerically demonstrated that the effective stress history influences the present-day stability of faults and natural fractures. Any assumption of a homogeneous stress state is shown to be unrealistic in the majority of fractured shale reservoirs. The simulations demonstrate that, depending upon the effective stress history, shear displacements can be induced by stress changes associated with stimulation without a change of fluid pressure in the destabilized fractures. Elastoplastic shale and other fractured reservoirs are shown to have a memory of past geomechanical states. These numerical findings demonstrate the value of interpreting reservoir effective stress history when planning fluid injection. A previous case history is summarized to illustrate the overwhelming dependence of stress history analyses on a wide spectrum of earth science disciplines. It also illustrates the application of stress history analyses to activities other than hydraulic fracturing. The current inexperience of effective stress history description means that new approaches must be identified to optimize the necessary multidisciplinary investigations. Supplementary material: Details of the simulations are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18743 .