Reduced order model for simultaneous growth of multiple closely-spaced radial hydraulic fractures

Abstract

A new reduced order model (ROM) provides rapid and reasonably accurate prediction of the complex behavior of multiple, simultaneously growing radial hydraulic fractures. The method entails vastly reducing the degrees of freedom typically associated with fully-coupled simulations of this multiple moving boundary problem by coupling together an approximation of the influence of the stress interaction among the fractures (“stress shadow”) with an approximation of fluid flow and elasticity, ensuring preservation of global volume balance, global energy balance, elasticity, and compatibility of the crack opening with the inlet fluid flux. Validating with large scale (“high-fidelity”) simulations shows the ROM solution captures not only the basic suppression of interior hydraulic fractures in a uniformly-spaced array due to the well-known stress shadowing phenomenon, but also complex behaviors arising when the spacing among the hydraulic fractures is non-uniform. The simulator's usefulness is demonstrated through a proof-of-concept optimization whereby non-uniform spacing and stage length are chosen to maximize the fracture surface area and/or the uniformity of growth associated with each stimulation treatment.