Fluid-driven cracks in an elastic matrix in the toughness-dominated limit

Lai, Ching-Yao; Zheng, Zhong; Dressaire, Emilie; Stone, Howard A.

doi:10.1098/rsta.2015.0425

Cited by 22 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…For example, Hubbert & Willis (1972) have investigated the elastic stress field and its effect on fracture orientation, while Spence & Sharp (1985), Lister (1990) and Savitski & Detournay (2002) have offered two-dimensional models for the propagation of both buoyancyand pressure-driven fractures in an elastic half-space. Lai et al (2015Lai et al ( , 2016b have presented experimental work for the case of an elastic penny-shaped pressure-driven hydraulic fracture propagation. Interest in such problems has been primarily driven by questions relating to creation and propagation of such fluid-driven fractures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of viscous backflow from a model fracture network

et al. 2017

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Hydraulic fracturing for production of oil and gas from shale formations releases fluid waste, by-products that must be managed carefully to avoid significant harm to human health and the environment. These fluids are presumed to result from a variety of fracture relaxation processes, and are commonly referred to as ‘flowback’ and ‘produced water’, depending primarily on the time scale of their appearance. Here, a model is presented for investigating the dynamics of backflows caused by the elastic relaxation of a pre-strained medium, namely a single fracture and two model fracture network systems: a single bifurcated channel and its generalization for $n$ bifurcated fracture generations. Early- and late-time asymptotic solutions are obtained for the model problems and agree well with numerical solutions. In the late-time period, the fracture apertures and backflow rates exhibit a time dependence of $t^{-1/3}$ and $t^{-4/3}$, respectively. In addition, the pressure distributions collapse to universal curves when scaled by the maximum pressure in the system, which we calculate as a function of $n$. The pressure gradient along the network is steepest near the outlet while the bulk of the network serves as a ‘reservoir’. Fracture networks with larger $n$ are less efficient at evicting fluids, manifested through a longer time required for a given fractional reduction of the initial volume. The developed framework may be useful for informing engineering design and environmental regulations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of viscous backflow from a model fracture network

et al. 2017

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“…Newtonian fluids, water-glycerin mixtures with different dynamic viscosities µ, were injected at constant volumetric rates Q0 into the hydrogel using a syringe pump (HA PhD Ultra). The experimental parameters (Materials and Methods) were chosen so that the fractures propagated in the toughness-dominated regime before coalescence (7,9,11).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thickness measurements were obtained from light attenuation experiments that required calibration using a glass wedge of known dimensions. This procedure is detailed extensively in previous studies (9,10,22).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent experimental studies on single penny-shaped fractures successfully captured the dynamic behaviors for the propagation under two different dominant energy dissipation mechanisms: viscous dissipation and material toughness (7)(8)(9). In this paper, we focus on the coalescence of two fluid-driven, penny-shaped fractures when the fracture is dominated by the material toughness (rather than vicious dissipation) and provide experimental observations and scaling arguments on the dynamic behavior during the growth of bridges formed between two fractures.…”

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Symmetric coalescence of two hydraulic fractures

O'Keeffe

Zheng

Huppert

et al. 2018

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The formation of a fracture network is a key process for many geophysical and industrial practices from energy resource recovery to induced seismic management. We focus on the initial stage of a fracture network formation using experiments on the symmetric coalescence of two equal coplanar, fluid-driven, penny-shaped fractures in a brittle elastic medium. Initially, the fractures propagate independently of each other. The fractures then begin to interact and coalesce, forming a bridge between them. Within an intermediate period after the initial contact, most of the fracture growth is localized along this bridge, perpendicular to the line connecting the injection sources. Using light attenuation and particle image velocimetry to measure both the fracture aperture and velocity field, we characterize the growth of this bridge. We model this behavior using a geometric volume conservation argument dependent on the symmetry of the interaction, with a 2D approximation for the bridge. We also verify experimentally the scaling for the bridge growth and the shape of the thickness profile along the bridge. The influence of elasticity and toughness of the solid, injection rate of the fluid, and initial location of the fractures are captured by our scaling.

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“…Lai et al [7] present an experimental study of the dynamics of fluid-driven cracks in an elastic matrix made from gelatin. They measure the crack shape as a function of space and time and identify a dimensionless parameter that determines the relative competition between toughness and viscous effects.…”

Section: Theme Issue Contributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction: energy and the subsurface

Christov

Viswanathan

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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This theme issue covers topics at the forefront of scientific research on energy and the subsurface, ranging from carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sequestration to the recovery of unconventional shale oil and gas resources through hydraulic fracturing. As such, the goal of this theme issue is to have an impact on the scientific community, broadly, by providing a self-contained collection of articles contributing to and reviewing the state-of-the-art of the field. This collection of articles could be used, for example, to set the next generation of research directions, while also being useful as a self-study guide for those interested in entering the field. Review articles are included on the topics of hydraulic fracturing as a multiscale problem, numerical modelling of hydraulic fracture propagation, the role of computational sciences in the upstream oil and gas industry and chemohydrodynamic patterns in porous media. Complementing the reviews is a set of original research papers covering growth models for branched hydraulic crack systems, fluid-driven crack propagation in elastic matrices, elastic and inelastic deformation of fluid-saturated rock, reaction front propagation in fracture matrices, the effects of rock mineralogy and pore structure on stress-dependent permeability of shales, topographic viscous fingering and plume dynamics in porous media convection. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Energy and the subsurface’.

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Fluid-driven cracks in an elastic matrix in the toughness-dominated limit

Abstract: One contribution of 12 to a theme issue 'Energy and the subsurface' .

Cited by 22 publications

References 26 publications

Dynamics of viscous backflow from a model fracture network

Dynamics of viscous backflow from a model fracture network

Symmetric coalescence of two hydraulic fractures

Introduction: energy and the subsurface

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