Abstract
Modeling of hydraulic fracturing processes is of great importance in computational geosciences. In this paper, a phase-field model is developed and applied for investigating the hydraulic fracturing propagation in saturated poroelastic rocks with pre-existing fractures. The phase-field model replaces discrete, discontinuous fractures by continuous diffused damage field, and thus is capable of simulating complex cracking phenomena such as crack branching and coalescence. Specifically, hydraulic fracturing propagation in a rock sample of a single pre-existing natural fracture or natural fracture networks is simulated using the proposed model. It is shown that distance between fractures plays a significant role in the determination of propagation direction of hydraulic fracture. While the rock permeability has a limited influence on the final crack topology induced by hydraulic fracturing, it considerably impacts the distribution of the fluid pressure in rocks. The propagation of hydraulic fractures driven by the injected fluid increases the connectivity of the natural fracture networks, which consequently enhances the effective permeability of the rocks.
Highlights
Hydraulic fracturing is a process of fracture of rock formation induced by pressurized liquids
Three examples with increasing complexity are concerned which are the propagation of a single hydraulic fracture, the hydraulic fracturing propagation interacted with a natural fracture, and the hydraulic fracturing in natural fracture networks
We focus on the hydraulic fracture propagation in a poroelastic rock interacted with a pre-existing natural fracture
Summary
Hydraulic fracturing is a process of fracture of rock formation induced by pressurized liquids. Due. In recent years, numerous computational methods have been developed to model hydraulic fracturing processes in rocks that can be roughly divided into discrete and continuous categories. In cases of permeable solids [34], the fluid flux between the fracture and the porous solid is employed as a coupling variable These studies have shown that the phase-field method is a promising approach for modeling hydraulic fracturing propagations. These studies focused majorly on the theoretical and numerical development of the phase-field model for hydraulic fracturing Many issues such as the effects of material properties on the hydraulic fracturing, interactions between the hydraulic fracture and a pre-existing fracture, and hydraulic fracturing propagation in natural rocks with complex fracture networks remain open questions and require further studies. The hydraulic fracturing propagation in a rock sample with more complex natural fracture networks is studied, in which interactions between multiple natural fractures and hydraulic fracture are concerned
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