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Investigating the Propagation of Multiple Hydraulic Fractures in Shale Oil Rocks Using Acoustic Emission

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Abstract

The propagation of multiple fractures plays a significant role in the effectiveness of hydraulic stimulation in shale oil reservoirs. Previous studies reported that the laminations and bedding interface in shale oil rocks could influence the propagation of single hydraulic fracture. However, the propagation mechanism of multiple fractures in such rocks is still unclear. Here we use a true-triaxial experimental system, together with the acoustic emission (AE) monitoring system, to investigate the propagation of multiple fractures in shale oil reservoir rocks. The results show that the fracture interference started at the initiation stage seriously affects the propagation of multiple fractures. More clusters per stage could aggravate the fracture interference near the wellhead. The laminations and bedding interfaces are the main causes of fracture interference and could hinder the height of hydraulic fractures. Shear-type AE event signals the generation of fracture interference caused by the slip of bedding interface and the deflection of fractures induced by the laminations. The mechanism of fracture interference not only lies in stress shadow but also in the changes in fluid pressure caused by the high permeability of laminations and bedding interface. The experimental results provide basic and detailed data for studying hydraulic fracturing in shale oil reservoirs.

Highlights

  • True-triaxial experiment is conducted to investigate the propagation of multiple hydraulic fractures.

  • Both the lamination and bedding interface influence multiple hydraulic fracture propagation.

  • The AE monitoring indicates many shear-type fractures when fracture interference appears.

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modified from Zhang et al. 2021a)

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Abbreviations

f pf :

Perforation friction

ρ s :

Density of the fluid

n p :

Number of perforations

d p :

Diameter of the perforation

K d :

Discharge coefficient

S M :

Cluster spacing or stage spacing in the experiment

L M :

Half-length of a fracture in the experiment

S F :

Cluster spacing or stage spacing in the field

L F :

Half-length of a fracture in the field

D :

Stage spacing

d :

Cluster spacing

A :

Asymmetry distribution of AE events

N :

Total number of AE events

c :

Half of the fracture height

p :

Net pressure in the hydraulic fracture

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Acknowledgements

This work is financially supported by the subprojects of the Strategic Cooperation Technology Projects of CNPC and CUPB (ZLZX2020-01-08 and ZLZX2020-01-07), and the Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 51774236).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China

    Shan Wu & Ke Gao

  2. State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Bei**g), Bei**g, China

    **aoqiong Wang, Hongkui Ge, Yushi Zou & **aohuan Zhang

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  1. Shan Wu
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  2. Ke Gao
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Correspondence to Ke Gao.

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Wu, S., Gao, K., Wang, X. et al. Investigating the Propagation of Multiple Hydraulic Fractures in Shale Oil Rocks Using Acoustic Emission. Rock Mech Rock Eng 55, 6015–6032 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-022-02960-2

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