Premium
Injection Parameters That Promote Branching of Hydraulic Cracks
Author(s) -
Li Wenfeng,
Frash Luke P.,
Carey J. William,
Welch Nathan J.,
Meng Meng,
Nguyen Hoang,
Viswanathan Hari S.,
Rougier Esteban,
Lei Zhou,
RahimiAghdam Saeed,
Bažant Zdenek P.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2021gl093321
Subject(s) - hydraulic fracturing , oil shale , viscosity , fracture (geology) , porosity , mechanics , geology , branching (polymer chemistry) , petroleum engineering , fluid dynamics , comminution , fracturing fluid , fluid pressure , materials science , geotechnical engineering , composite material , metallurgy , paleontology , physics
Fluid injection into rock formations can either produce complex branched hydraulic fractures, create simple planar fractures, or be dominated by porous diffusion. Currently, the optimum injection parameters to create branched fractures are unknown. We conducted repeatable hydraulic fracturing experiments using analog‐rock samples with controlled heterogeneity to quantify the fluid parameters that promote fracture branching. A large range of injection rates and fluid viscosities were used to investigate their effects on induced fracture patterns. Paired with a simple analytical model, our results identify the threshold at which fracture transitions from an isolated planar crack to branched cracks when closed natural fractures exist. These results demonstrate that this transition can be controlled by injection rate and fluid viscosity. In relation to the field practices, the present model predicts slickwater and lower viscosity fluid injections promote fracture branching, with the Marcellus shale used as an example.