A Review of Numerical Simulation Strategies for Hydraulic Fracturing, Natural Fracture Reactivation and Induced Microseismicity Prediction

Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing, natural fracture reactivation and resulting induced microseismicity are interconnected phenomena involved in shale gas exploitation. Due to their multi-physics and their complexity, deep understanding of these phenomena as well as their mutual interaction require the adoption of coupled mechanical and fluid flow approaches. Modeling these systems is a challenging procedure as the involved processes take place on different scales of space and also require adequate multidisciplinary knowledge. An extensive literature review is presented here to provide knowledge on the modeling approaches adopted for these coupled problems. The review is intended as a guide to select effective modeling approaches for problems of different complexity.

Harmonic Pulse Testing for Well Monitoring: Application to a Fractured Geothermal Reservoir

“…Geomechanical correlations that assess the effective stresses working on the fractures must then be developed for these tests. In addition, fracture opening correlations versus effective stress and a fracture opening-permeability correlation are required; to this end, we suggest something along the lines of fracture opening models developed by Bandis et al (1983) and used for shale gas production (Bagheri & Settari, 2008;Shahid et al, 2015Shahid et al, , 2016. The geomechanical treatment should follow an approach similar to that of Vinci et al (2015).…”

A Review of Hydraulic Fracturing Simulation

“…Natural fractures are an important source for non-planar and multistranded hydraulic fractures [259,331], because some natural fractures may be reactivated or crossed during the propagation of hydraulic fracture, forming a complex fracture network instead of a planar fracture. Due to the significant impact of natural fractures on the hydraulic fracturing treatment, they have been extensively studied through field trials, experimental tests, and analytical and numerical investigations [80,108,170,287,333].…”

An Overview of New Developments in Shale Gas: Induced Seismicity Aspect

“…The plastic zone, according to the results, expanded up to 200 m from the injection well at the end of the hydraulic fracturing operation. Shahid et al [51] did an inclusive review on numerical simulation analyses and strategies using commercial codes or developing new specific codes for modeling hydraulic fracturing, the natural fracture reactivation, and induced microseismicity associated with either hydraulic fracturing operation itself or the interaction between hydraulically induced fractures and natural fractures and discontinuities. There are different numerical models to use for this purpose according to the assumption/s of the studies.…”