Re-Opening and Shut-in Behaviors under a Large Ratio of Principal Stresses in a Hydraulic Fracturing Test

Abstract

In-situ stress measurements were carried out under a 290m overburden in the Kamaishi mine in Iwate Prefecture of Japan. The geology of the measurement site consists of granite. The Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) technique and the Compact Conical-ended Borehole Overcoring (CCBO) technique were applied in the same horizontal borehole. The three-dimensional stress state as measured by CCBO is explained below. The directions of the maximum principal stress (σ1) and the intermediate principal stress (σ2) are almost horizontal. The direction of σ1 is perpendicular to the borehole axis, and the direction of σ2 is parallel to the borehole axis. The direction of the minimum principal stress (σ3) is approximately vertical. In this case, σ1/σ3 ratio is about 5 which is considered to be beyond the scope of the application of the HF technique. To observe the behavior of re-opening and shut-in under a large principal stress ratio, we tried to apply the HF test under these conditions. While, the re-opening pressure could not be evaluated, the shut-in pressure was observed. The results confirmed that σ3 estimated by HF is substantially equal to the vertical stress evaluated by CCBO.