JOURNAL OF ROCK MECHANICS

JOURNAL OF ROCK MECHANICS

Numerical modeling of hydraulic fracturing using ABAQUS finite element software and determining the factors affecting the fracture initiation pressure

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Department of Petroleum Engineering, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Petroleum and Mining Engineering and Research Center for Modeling and Optimization in Science and Engineering, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Hydraulic fracture as a method to stimulate oil reservoirs depends on various factors. Since the hydraulic fracture operation is high-priced, predicting how the operation will progress and the required fracture pressure to determine the appropriate pump before the operation on the site is very important. In the current research, numerical modeling of hydraulic fracture in 4 different modes in ABAQUS finite element software and comparing the results with it's laboratory modeling to find the fracture pressure has been done. Then, sensitivity analysis was performed using ABAQUS software to investigate the effect of changing different parameters on the fracture pressure. These, input parameters, which are actually well data, include modulus of elasticity, horizontal stress, vertical stress, tensile strength and Poisson's ratio. The results show that the horizontal stress and tensile strength have the greatest effect on the fracture pressure, and the effect of parameters such as vertical stress and Young's modulus in determining the fracture pressure is very insignificant. In this research, the conducted modeling is similar to the laboratory models, and the samples are designed in pristine form without any initial cracks. The results of the numerical modeling had a slight difference from the laboratory modeling. This difference was calculated to be less than 1% in tests 1 and 4; in test 2, this difference was 13% and in test 3, this difference was 15%. The direction of the created cracks was in line with what was previously stated in the theoretical cases and what was obtained in the laboratory modeling. The resulting cracks appeared along the axis of the borehole and perpendicular to the horizontal stress. According to the results, numerical modeling can be used to develop hydraulic fracture operations.    
Keywords

[1]        Zhang, G., et al., Three-dimensional finite element simulation and parametric study for horizontal well hydraulic fracture. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 2010. 72(3-4): p. 310-317.
[2]        Lakirouhani, A., & Farkhondeh, S. (2018). Effective Parameters on Breakdown Pressure in Hydraulic Fracturing, Modeling with Finite Difference Method. Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering, 50(3), 557-566. doi: 10.22060/ceej.2017.12514.5221
[3]        Pirhadi, A., et al., Wellbore Stability in a Depleted Reservoir by Finite Element Analysis of Coupled thermo-poro-elastic Units in an Oilfield, SW Iran. Results in Earth Sciences, 2023: p. 100005.
[4]        Shariat zadeh, A., Hosseini, M., & Ghadiri, M. (2021). Numerical modeling for investigating the effect of thermal stress on fracture pressure and principal stresses in hydraulic fracturing creation process in rocky environment. Journal of Petroleum Geomechanics, 4(1), 67-79. doi: 10.22107/jpg.2021.253861.1127
[5]         M‌o‌l‌a‌a‌l‌i, M., & Y‌a‌z‌d‌a‌n‌i, M. (2014). N‌U‌M‌E‌R‌I‌C‌A‌L M‌O‌D‌E‌L‌I‌N‌G O‌F H‌Y‌D‌R‌A‌U‌L‌I‌C F‌R‌A‌C‌T‌U‌R‌I‌N‌G I‌N O‌I‌L R‌E‌S‌E‌R‌V‌O‌I‌R‌S W‌I‌T‌H E‌X‌T‌E‌N‌D‌E‌D F‌I‌N‌I‌T‌E E‌L‌E‌M‌E‌N‌T M‌E‌T‌H‌O‌D. Sharif Journal of Civil Engineering, Volume 30-2(4.1), 3-11.
 
[6]        Aria, M., & Hosseini, M. (2019). Numerical Modeling for Determining Effective factors on initiation fracture Pressure in Hydraulic fracture Operation. Scientific Quarterly Journal of Iranian Association of Engineering Geology, 12(1), 57-74.
[7]        Shirinabadi, R., E. Moosavi, and M. Gholinejad, Application of distinct element method to analyze the fracture and in-situ stress on wellbore stability under triaxial compression. Indian Geotechnical Journal, 2021. 51(6): p. 1384-1398.
[8]        Attari E, Golshani A. Numerical modeling of hydraulic fracture considering the pre-existing joints using PFC software. MCEJ 2022; 22 (2) :241-260
[9]        Fahool, F., R. Shirinabadi, and P. Moarefvand, Poroelastic Analysis Employing the Finite Element Method to Assess the Effect of Changes in the Biot Coefficient on Oil Well Wall Stability. Indian Geotechnical Journal, 2023: p. 1-13.
[10]      Akrami, A., & Hosseini, M. (2017). Laboratory Modeling of hydraulic fracturing. New Findings in Applied Geology, 11(21), 83-91. doi: 10.22084/nfag.2017.1926