Fracture initiation and propagation behaviors of thinly interbedded tight sandstone reservoirs by various hydraulic fracturing methods

Abstract

This paper proposed three new fracturing methods, slick water with an integrated variable viscosity fracturing, supercritical CO2 shock fracturing and pulse hydraulic fracturing. To verify the efficacy of the new methods, we conducted laboratory true-triaxial fracturing experiments by using outcrops collected from the Lower Shihezi formation, Ordos Basin. The results indicate that supercritical CO2 shock fracturing is observed to have the lowest breakdown pressure compared with other methods.