Laboratory study of fracture initiation and propagation in Barre granite under fluid pressure at stress state close to failure

Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing is frequently used to increase the permeability of rock formations in energy extraction scenarios such as unconventional oil and gas extraction and enhanced geothermal systems (EGSs). The present study addresses uncertainties in the hydraulic fracturing process pertaining to EGSs in crystalline rock such as granite. Specifically, there is debate in the literature on the mechanisms (i.e. tensile and/or shear) by which these fractures initiate, propagate, and coalesce. We present experiments on Barre granite with pre-cut flaws where the material is loaded to high far-field stresses close to shear failure, and then the fluid pressure in the flaws is increased to move the Mohr's circle to the left and observe the initiation and propagation of fractures using high-speed imaging and acoustic emissions (AEs). We find that the hydraulic fractures initiate as tensile microcracks at the flaw tips, and then propagate as a combination of tensile and shear microcracks. AE focal mechanisms also show elevated levels of tensional microfracturing near the flaw tips during pressurization and final failure. We then consider a numerical model of the experimental setup, where we find that fractures are indeed likely to initiate at flaw tips in tension even at relatively high far-field stresses of 40 MPa where shear failure is generally expected.