Numerical Analysis of Complex Fracture Propagation Under Temporary Plugging Conditions in a Naturally Fractured Reservoir

Abstract

Summary Temporary plugging during fracturing operations has become an efficient method to create a complex fracture network in tight reservoirs with natural fractures (NFs). Accurate prediction of the network-propagation process plays a critical role in plugging- and fracturing-parameter optimization. In this paper, the interaction between one single hydraulic fracture (HF) within a temporary plugging segment and multiple NFs was simulated using a complex fracture-development model. A new opening criterion for an NF penetrated by a nonorthogonal HF already was implemented to identify the dominant propagation direction of a HF under plugging conditions. Fracture displacements and the induced-stress field were determined by the 3D displacement-discontinuity method, and the Gauss-Jordan and Levenberg-Marquardt methods were combined to handle the coupling between rock mechanics and fluid flow numerically. Numerical results demonstrate that the opening and development of an NF are mainly dominated by its approaching angle and relative location. For a certain NF crossed by an HF within the plugging segment, the HF tends to propagate along the NF branch inclined in the main HF direction. The farther the interaction position is away from the HF tip, the easier the NF with an approaching angle less than 30° or larger than 150° can be open, and the outcome will be opposite if the approaching angle is larger than 45° or less than 135°. Higher approaching angle and plugging strength is necessary for expanding the position scope of NF that can be opened around HF. Under the effect of plugging, fluid pressure in the HF plummets at the beginning of the NF opening and keeps decreasing until the NF extends for a certain distance or encounters secondary NFs. Fluid-pressure drop occurs mainly in the unturned NF, together with the width of unturned NF being significantly lower than that of the turned NF and HF. Sensitivity analysis shows that the main factors, such as geometry, aperture profile, and fluid-pressure distribution, affecting the network progress under the temporary plugging conditions are the horizontal differential stress, NF position, approaching angle, plugging time, and plugging-segment length. The simulation results provide critical insight into complex fracture-propagation progress under temporary plugging conditions, which should serve as guidelines for well choosing and plugging optimization in temporary plugging fracturing.