The effect of hydraulic fracture characteristics on production rate in thermal EOR methods

Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing operation affects the production in addition to increasing production in reservoir with low permeability in fractured reservoirs. Apparent interaction between a propagating hydraulic fracture and pre-existing natural fractures seems to be the key component explaining why some reservoirs exhibit more complex behaviors. The likelihood of intersection between a hydraulic and natural fracture is partly a function of orientation. Interaction between a propagating hydraulic fracture and pre-existing natural fractures seems to explain why some reservoirs exhibit more complex behavior. In this paper a complex hydraulic fracture pattern propagation model based on the Distinct Element Method as a design tool is presented which can be used to optimize treatment parameters under complex propagation conditions. Hydraulic fracturing was conducted by hot water and finally, the steam was injected into the reservoir through the hydraulic fracture and at each stage, the production was evaluated. Flow conditions in the natural fractures which are associated with hydraulic fractures in each stage, were evaluated based on the influence of hydraulic fractures in each stage. From the results it was found that in fractured reservoirs if the length of hydraulic fracture becomes greater, injection by hydraulic fracture will have high efficiency even at low pressure and volume. And in hydraulic fracture with low length, the pressure and volume of injection must be higher to increase the operational efficiency. Results show that fracture pattern complexity is strongly controlled by the orientation of the natural fractures relative to the hydraulic fracture.