Hydraulic Fracture Propagation in a Naturally Fractured Reservoir

Abstract

Abstract We present the results of numerical modeling that quantify the physical mechanisms of mechanical activation of a natural fault due to contact with a hydraulic fracture. The analysis of the total stress state along the fault during the hydraulic fracture coalescence stage makes it possible to define a criterion for reinitiation of a secondary tensile crack at the fault. Numerical simulations of the fracture interaction for a wide range of key parameters have been performed to detect the possible fracturing scenarios.