Competition Between Transverse And Axial Hydraulic Fractures In Horizontal Wells (original) (raw)

Abstract

Most horizontal wells in unconventional reservoirs are drilled in the direction of the minimum stress. The preferred far-field fracture orientation thus favors hydraulic fractures transverse to the wellbore. The near-wellbore stress concentration, however, sometimes favors the initiation of fractures in a plane defined by the well axis. Transverse and axial hydraulic fractures can thus both initiate in some situations and cause significant near-wellbore tortuosity. We investigate the competition between these two types of fractures by comparing their energy requirement during hydraulic fracture initiation and propagation. First, we investigate the limiting cases of slow and fast pressurization where fluid flow and fracture mechanics uncouple. We then use recently developed numerical models for the initiation and propagation of hydraulic fractures from an open hole accounting for fluid flow in the newly created crack, wellbore stress concentration and injection system compressibility.

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