Physical and Numerical Modeling to Predict Fracture Initiation

on Hydraulic Fracturing
Fredo Yolendra Kaswiyanto, Irwandy Arif and Ganda Marihot Simangunsong
Laboratory of Geomechanics and Mine Equipment, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
e-mail: fredoyolendra@hotmail.com
2014 ISRM International Symposium 8
th
Asian Rock Mechanics Symposium
Abstract
Hydraulic fracturing is a pressure-induced fracture caused by injecting fluid into a target rock
formation. In oil and gas industries, this method is commonly used to increase permeability by
creating fractures in the formation that connect the reservoir and wellbore. Another purpose
of hydraulic fracturing is to determine in-situ stresses. This research was performed in
laboratory to validate fracture mechanism of hydraulic fracturing where fractures should be
formed perpendicular to the minimum principal stress. Block samples with dimension of 25
cm x 25 cm x 25 cm were prepared in laboratory using two types of materials i.e. resin and
concrete. Nozzle with diameter of 1 cm was mounted at the center of block samples to
accommodate fluid injection. During the test, the block samples were given initial loads
representing in-situ stress at three perpendicular directions. The initial loads were 12 MPa, 9
MPa and 6 MPa for resin block sample, and 3 MPa, 2 MPa and 1 MPa for concrete block
sample. Fracture pressures (breakdown pressure) were obtained from the tests giving values
of 15.6 MPa and 7.0 MPa for resin and concrete block samples, respectively. The fractures
were observed approximately parallel to direction of maximum principal stress. Numerical
simulation using two dimensional finite element methods were performed to validate the test
results, where fracture initiation was predicted using failure criteria of Griffith and Mohr-
Coloumb. The fracture initiation should begin at the perimeter of the injected hole, and the
location has been confirmed similar with the laboratory test results where fracture generates
parallel to direction of maximum principal stress.
Keywords:
Hydraulic fracturing, Laboratory test, Polyaxial loading, Finite element methods, Failure
criterion.
1
Laboratory experimentation has been performed by the use of block of samples with
dimension 25 cm x 25 cm x 25 cm under true triaxial condition. True triaxial
condition are loaded using two hydraulic pistons at the horizontal direction, and by
electrical pressing machine (Hung-Ta) at the vertical direction. Borehole with 1 cm
diameter was mounted with noozle on the top side of the block which is exactly
located in center of the block. Nozzle should be connected to the electrical hydraulic
pump machine to inject fluid that will hydrostatically pressing the perimeter of the
borehole until fractured. During the process, on hidraulic pump were installed a
pressure transducer to monitor pressure. Pressure transducer is a sensor to detect
pressure and then convert to voltage. When the pressure transducer connected with
the data logger, the voltage has converted back to pressure, also monitored and
recorded by the computer in real time basis. Fluid injection rate was maintained
constant to prevent misinterpretation on the pressure versus time curve generated
12 MPa
6 MPa
9 MPa
0
5
10
15
20
0 50 100 150 200
F
l
u
i
d

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

(
M
P
a
)
Time (s)
-2
0
2
4
6
8
0 100 200 300 400 500 F
l
u
i
d

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

(
M
P
a
)
Time (s)
Concluding Remarks
The laboratory-scale hydraulic
fracturing test using resin block
sample and concrete block sample
show that fracture propagates
parallel to direction of maximum
principal stress.
The Griffith failure criterion gave
more conservative values of Factor of
Safety than the Mohr-Coloumb
failure criterion on the prediction of
fracture initiation.
The breakdown pressure predicted
by the numerical simulation is
smaller than the laboratory-scale
hydraulic fracturing test.
Resin Material
The resin was chosen as it is physically transparent. It should be noted that failure characteristics
of resin depends on temperature. To obtain a good result of hydraulic fracturing test where the
failure characteristic should be a brittle fracture, the block sample was then kept in a refrigerator
with temperature of 7
o
C for 14 days prior to the test. The injected hole was made with diameter
of 10 mm and the total depth of 15 cm. The nozzle was placed with length of 8 cm, giving space
for pressurized fluid with length of 7 cm. True triaxial stress was applied, where the maximum,
intermediate, and minimum stresses are 12 MPa, 9 MPa and 6 MPa, respectively
The fracture took place when fluid pressure or breakdown pressure was 15.6 MPa. Fracture
propagation was found consistent with the result from (Hubbert and Willis, 1957), where the
fracture propagates on direction of the maximum principal stress
Concrete Material
The concrete material was chosen since it has
characteristics similar to the natural rock
sample. The samples were dried at standard
room temperature up to 28 days. The
mechanical properties of block sample were
obtained from laboratory tests, include of
UCS, the Brazilians, and Triaxial tests.
With maximum principal stress is three times
of minimum principal stress, this stress
condition would theoretically produce the
tangential stress at direction of the maximum
principal stress is zero. The maximum,
intermediate, and minimum stresses are 3
MPa, 2 MPa and 1 MPa, respectively
However, the test results show that the
breakdown pressure of 7 MPa found almost 3
times higher than its tensile strength. The
difference indicates that the breakdown pressure
has been influenced by inhomogeneity of block
sample. The fracture propagation was consistent
with the theory of (Hubbert and Willis, 1957)
The calculation results show that the factors of safety given by Griffiths criterion were found
smaller than the Mohr-Coloumb. It indicates that the fracture initiation is more dominated by the
tension stress (
T
) than the shear stress ().
The location of fractured element has been described for both failure criterions with various
internal injection pressures. The internal pressure was set from safe condition until the actual
breakdown pressure obtained from the laboratory test. The figure indicates that fracture initiates
when the tangential stress similar to the tensile strength of material (
T
= 2.78 MPa), and
eventually develop to the horizontal direction.
The numerical modeling was performed with plane strain
analysis, by considering there is no displacement out of plane,
or in other words there is no displacement at the direction of
injection hole. The boundary condition on each side was given
accordingly to prevent displacement at out-side direction, and
the loads was define as distributed load at two directions, i.e.
horizontal direction as maximum stress (
1
) and the vertical as
minimum stress (
3
). The calculated stresses on nodes were
focused at the perimeter. Therefore, 36 nodes must be
determined.
0,25m
0,25m
10mm
Numerical Modeling
Two dimensional finite element method analyses were performed to validate the test results.
Stresses condition and distribution around the injection hole of the hydraulic fracturing test were
calculated. The calculation results can be used to indicate the fracture initiation point, and
eventually give information about direction of fracture propagation.
The fracture initiation was evaluated using factor of safety
(FoS) of every element at the injection hole perimeter. The
factor of safety was calculated using two failure criterions,
Mohr-Coloumb criterion and Griffith's criterion. The two
dimensional finite element model was built at the cross-
sectional which is perpendicular with the injection hole, or
in the same direction with the intermediate stress (
2
).
The dimension of numerical modeling was identical with
the physical block model, that is 25 cm x 25 cm and the
radius of the injection hole was 10mm.
It should bear in mind that the horizontal direction
was defined as maximum stress, while the vertical
direction as minimum stress. By giving the obtained
breakdown pressure (P
i
=P
c
=7 MPa), the calculation
results shows many elements failures at the
perimeter of horizontal direction
2
3 4
5 6
Picture taken parallel with injection hole
(
3
)
Picture taken on the direction of
Intermediate stress axis (
2
)
Picture taken on the direction of
maximum stress axis (
1
)
2 MPa
1 MPa
3 MPa