Numerical investigation of the stress regime effect on injection-induced fault reactivation and associated seismicity

Abstract

The occurrence of many seismic events in energy production projects is caused by fluid injection-induced reactivation of critically stressed faults. The distribution of local stress regime has a significant influence on natural earthquakes, while its role in controlling injection-induced fault slip behavior and seismicity magnitude remains poorly understood. In this paper, we present a three-dimensional hydro-mechanical coupled fault reactivation study using unified pipe-interface element method (UP-IEM). The accuracy and reliability of the numerical method are evaluated and confirmed by numerical verification and actual observation data in Pohang EGS project, South Korea. The relationship between fault aseismic slip, seismic slip and seismicity magnitude is analyzed. Results show that both aseismic and seismic slip have different spatiotemporal distribution with the variation of stress regime. The seismic slip zone will exceed the pressurized area with the increase of initial slip tendency under the strike-slip-faulting stress regime (σH>σv>σh). Compared with fluid pressure, the seismic slip is mainly determined by a sudden increase of the shear stress at the aseismic slip zone boundary. In addition, the location of the microseismic events moves towards the fluid pressure propagation front. The larger slip area and seismicity magnitude are easier to be induced under strike-slip-faulting stress regime than thrust-faulting stress regime (σH>σh>σv). The tensile failure and higher permeability of the fault induced at injection phase for normal-faulting stress regime (σv>σH>σh) leads to a greater seismogenic hazard at the shut-in stage.