Formation of Vertical Fractures BY Means of Highly Viscous Liquid
Formation of Vertical Fractures BY Means of Highly Viscous Liquid
Formation of Vertical Fractures BY Means of Highly Viscous Liquid
, Paper 3
This paper throws light upon the process of the rate of injection Q , the pressure gradient
vertical fracture formation during the hydraulic __ and the fracture width i s :
rupture of a reservoir by a non-penetrating axf)
liquid. Formulae are deduced for determining
the change of pressure in time a t the drilling
hole bottom with a constant injection rate of the
rupture liquid, and the change in the length, The distribution of pressure along the frac-
thickness and configuration of the fracture. ture depends on the form of the fracture, which
Fractures are formed in the plane, perpen- is also unknown. Let us assume that A p =
= p - p , is the difference between the liquid
dicular to that of the formation - “vertical
cracks ”, - in case of hydraulic rupture of the pressure in the fracture and in the bed. At the
formation by highly viscous, hard penetrating beginning of the fracture A p = Apw at the
or non-penetrating liquid. Let us consider tho drilling hole wall ; A p decreases along the frac-
simplest case of the formation mechanism of ture. A p = 0 at point 2’0. A part of the
such a symmetrical fracture in the homogeneous fracture between the point positioned at 2’0and
reservoir, providing that there was an initial the fracture’s end is filled with the reservoir
fracture at the drilling hole face. liquid. There is no liquid pressure on the wall
It is assumed that the bed is subjected to a here.
confining compression caused by the rock pres- Let us assume that the fracture form at the
o < 5’ < 1 part is determined by the following
sure. The compressing tensions resulting from
the rock pressure, are equal to 5 , = - qoD in equation :
infinity, where q,> 0. Let us assume that the PI
case plotted on Fig. 1 is taking place in all
horizontal sections of the bed at a given mo- where 260 is the maximum width of the fracture
ment. The length of the fracture a t this mo- at the drilling hole wall. Suppose -
2) = s and
ment is 2, while that of the fracture’s part filled 1
with the viscous liquid is equal to 2’0. I t should A is a dimensionless parameter.
be taken into account that the viscous liquid
does not cover the whole length of the fracture,
and the mechanism of the reservoir rupture is [31
to a certain extent analogous to that of the
wedge. The rate of the liquid injection into Then, integrating Eq. [i], we obtain:
5
one of the fractures is Q , the reservoir thick-
ness h, and the liquid viscosity ,. 26 is the width
of the fracture. The resulting relation between
-
( * ) Academy of Sciences, Moscova, TJSSR.
580 PROCEEDINGS FOURTH WORLD PETROLEIJM CONGRESS-SECTION II/T.O.P.
as A p = 0 at the fracture point with the ab- Now let usIsolvelanother, still more simpli-
50 fied problem. As the diameter of the hole is
scissa TO = - then rather small, if compared t o the length of the
1
X. fracture, we may ignore the influence of the
hole itself on the tension in the elastic bed and
[51
consider the fracture as a slot, in the symmetry
centre of which the rupture liquid is being in-
Let us solve our problem with an approxi- jected. The solution of this problem with the
mation. We assume that the distribution of pres- help of a more precise scheme, reflecting the
sure along the fracture is known. We are to influence of the hole, does not involve major
find the statically equivalent, uniformly dis- difficulties, but leads t o considerably compli-
tributed load && applied to the fracture wall cated formulae.
over the length 0 . By a statically equivalent Let us substitute the unknown load on the
load we mean a load, the resultant of which is fracture wall by the above-mentioned equivalent,
equal t o the resultant of the true load [ 4 ] applied uniformly distributed one and find the configu-
to the fracture wall over a certain length 20. ration and length of the fracture, corresponding
both resultants having one and the same point t o that load. The configuration of the fracture
of application. is determined by the pressure G, applied t o
The following equations are used for deter- the fracture walls a t - 50 < x < >o and by the
mining ZO and A T w : all-sided compression of the reservoir due to
the confining pressure G m = - qoD. The di-
mensions of the fracture are t o be deduced from
the following extremely important condition:
the rock tensions on the fracture ends must be
and finite. Otherwise the fracture could not have
ended.
Thus, the problem is reduced t o an entirely
definite problem in the theory of elasticity, and
its solution, using the methods discussed by N.
We shall further base our reasoning on the J. Muskhelishvili in his book (1) affords no dif-
fact that the configuration of the fracture will ficulties.
be but little changed by the substitution of the So, U and U are shifts, parallel to the x' and
equivalent, uniformly distributed load for t h e
y axes (Fig. 1),sx,c,, and T ~ normal
, and tan-
true one. gential tensions on the stands, perpendicular to
This assumption is only approximately true,
the co-ordinate axes. Half-length of the frac-
for the width of the fracture first undergoes ture is taken t o be a unit. Then (1):
a gradual decrease, but then beginning from a
certain point located close to xo, displays ra-
pid narrowing, so that the main pressure-fall
along the fracture occurs in a comparatively
narrow region adjoining z = XO. If necessary, where
the approximate solution thus received may be
easily made more exact. [91
S. A. KHRISTIANOVIC, A N D Y. P. ZHELTOV-FORMATION O F VERTICAL FRACTURES 58 1
-_
The function w (C) conformly maps the do- In the point A : f A = 2Aputa. This value
main, outside the slot, onto the domain of t,he is preserved along the ABC section of the con-
plane C = reis. The functions 'p (C) and 4J (1;) tour, where A p = 0. At the CDE section :
in case of tensions in infinity equal to zero, are
X
determined by the equations (1). _ _
f = 2Apw zo + GWd z = G w (z+ &).
x8
0
+ i x-280
1; + cos80 In (oG-C)(oA-<) (GE--<)(oC-C).
so that
and
+
211. (U i v ) = x'p (<I 'p (3.
(22)
As at the y = 0 axis, and particularly along
the slot contour w (C) is real, it is evident from
[21] formula that :
CXlU=O, =Cu,u-o,. [=I Fig. 3
Then, it results from [20] that the finality
J
?
g determines the finality of tensions along tg -_
9+90
2
9' (t:)
the contour of the fracture. Hence: + cos$l0ln 9 +a0
+
(C) = 'pl (C) 90 (0
'p ~ 4 1
tg 2.
Using [IS] and [19], one would receive : and in case of 9 < 80;
- cos% In
apw
-- cos),
In order that the tensions should have the 80 +90 2
finite value on the ends of the fracture in case
tg 2
of t: = f 1, there must be :
Hence, using [22] we obtain :
r-
APW
Differentiating [27], we have : of [5], [6] and [ 7 ] , and then, using [ 4 ] , draw
the corresponding epures of pressure distribution
_ x +~1 (ao
~
dv
- APw! _ _In sin 4) along the fractures.
d8 2p 2x sin (9.0 +8j' Table I provides the values of X O , A and
hence in relation t o 8,:Fig. 5 gives the pressure
APW
a 0
and
2P E '
where E - Young's modulus, and v - Poisson's Ql
coefficient. So
Fig. 4.
E
a=2(1 +$)-.U=
Qw
TABLEI
-
, APW
- __
a0 xo APw x. A Q 5 7
.
-19-901 3x
8
0,382 0,89 4,5p, 0,465 0,787 1,58 0,398 0,328
- cos In tg ![31] 2
4
0.707 0,92 2,18qw 0,770 0,250 0.78 0.637 0,622
2
I
I
I
1 I
I I
I I
I I
I
I I
I I
I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I
I I
I I
I
I
I
I I
I I
I
I
I
I
I I
I I
1
I I
I
Fig. 5.
7= /- U
- dx.
U0
If the constant value of pressure A pw is
maintained at the face of the drilling hole, the
0 fracture configuration and the values A and
The value of for various 8 0 is also given in xo are also constant. I t results from [36], that
Table I. the squared length of the fracture must change
Substituting the magnitude 60 in the [3] for- in this case in direct proportion to the rate of
mula by its expression from [ 3 3 ] ,we receive : injection.
We receive, using [36], [37] and [38]:
v, = CQ. [391
Now let us find the volume V , of the vis- where
cous liquid in the fracture. We have :
V , = 260h17,, [371
S. A. KHRISTIANOVIC, A N D Y . P. ZHELTOV-FORMATION O F VERTICAL F R A C T U R E S 585
N 200-
E
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 E
TIME, min.
Fig. 7.
Bibliography
T, p change with an (1) Muskhelishvili N. J. '' Some Basic problems of
APW
o f -- and may be considered as constant in the Mathematica,l Theory of Elasticity". Pub-
Qca lishing House of t h e USSR Academy of
first approximation. Fig. 7 provides the graph Sciences, 1954.