Numerical models for the design

of hydraulic stimulation

Prof. Brice lecampion

GeoEnergyLab
 Hydraulic stimulation vs Hydraulic fracturing

[Tester et al, 2006]

 Treatment & Fluid Schedule Schematic

Propagation Shut-in Flowback / Clean-up

Bottom Hole Pressure

Breakdown pressure ISIP
Initiation pressure
Closure stress

Injection rate

Pad Spacer Main fluid

Proppant concentration

Not to scale ~ 1 to 3 hours time

Hydraulic Fracturing design

§  Well landing (for horizontals)

§  Completion type
–  Perfs vs sleeve, perforation design
§  Fluids & fluid scheduling
–  Fluid engineering (chemistry & rheology)
§  Proppant
–  Proppant type & load

§  Necessary inputs
–  In-situ stresses, pore-pressure
–  Lithology, rock parameters (logs)
–  Well geometry
–  Chosen fluid schedule
 Numerical HF growth Models
Simplified P3D models
(1980s)
Planar 3D models
(2000s)
Multiple HFs models
(2010s)

4250 psi

1250 psi
Pressure

Are we drowning in complexity ? M.A. Biot 1962

Timoshenko medal speech

“We should not overlook simplicity combined with

depth of understanding not only for its cultural value, Full 3D
but as a technological tool.”
(2010s)
Experimental Validation: Stress jumps
P

Profile machined according

to elasticity solution

Stress jump results from

pressing together

PyFrac
Herniation into low stress zone
SCL3_4 SCL3_9

Time=34 sec Time=67 sec

High
Med
Low

SCL3_18 SCL3_26

Time=273 sec Time=798 sec

 Numerical model verification
Radial HF Storage / Viscosity dominated benchmark (solution in Savitski & Detournay 2002)

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B. Lecampion, A. P. Bunger, and X. Zhang. Numerical methods for hydraulic fracture propagation: A review of recent
trends. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 49:66–83, 2018.
E.Detournay, Mechanics of Hydraulic Fractures, Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech. 2016
What about hydraulic stimulation ?

§  Design ?
–  Little to no fluid engineering
(besides geochemical compatibility)
–  Max. injection pressure, Max volume
–  “listen to seismicity & decide”

§  Limited return of experience

§  Lack of verified & validated /physics-based models for
combined shear + opening fluid driven fracture
propagation

–  Semi-analytical solutions for simplified geometries

–  Controlled decimeter scales laboratory experiment
Model ingredients
§  Mixed mode fluid-driven
fractures
–  Mode I+II (+III in 3D)
–  Frictional contact
(with weakening / R&S
friction -> EQ/µseismic
nucleation) + dilatancy &
fault permeability changes
–  Multiple pre-existing
fractures §  Boundary element for
mechanical deformation
(with acceleration techniques)
§  Finite Volume/Finite element
scheme for fluid flow
§  Fully coupled Hydro-mechanical
solvers
 § 
pressure

Axisymmetric
(JGR 2012):

–  Viesca (2018):
constant permeability
§  Plane-strain geometry

–  Zhang et al. (GJI 2005):

(solely aseismic growth)

Pure shear frictional fluid

growth) / constant perm.

constant friction + uniform

combined shear + opening

–  Garagash & Germanovitch

with linear slip weakening /

–  Azad & Garagash (JGR 2016):

–  Viesca (2018): constant friction

driven fracture growth solution

constant friction (solely aseismic

§ 
Solutions & verifications

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`/
p
4↵t

stressed configuration
diffusion front for critically
but can be way ahead the
Aseismic growth scales as
 ✓
1
⌧o
⌧p
◆

T
n,0
pmax

0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0 0.8
1.0

0.001
0.010
●

Asymptotic solutions – Viesca (2018)

●
●

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●

0.100
Critically stressed: T =
●

γ
●

2 π 3/2
●
●
●

γ
1
●

●
Shear crack driven by constant pressure injection

p 10
= `/ 4↵t
Example – friction neutral solution

●
HFpx2D results

100
●
Marginally pressurized: T = 1-γ
4
π 3/2

1000
 Examples – nucleation & arrest

Medium overpressure
0
p/ o = 0.5

Moderate overpressure
0
p/ o = 0.25

Numerics (HFpx2D) vs Analytical results of Garagash & Germanovitch (JGR 2012)

Conclusions

§  Design for hydraulic stimulation is still immature

§  The situation is better for hydraulic fracturing
(at least for planar fractures)
§  Numerical model verification for fracture propagation
is a must & it’s hard
–  A majority of HF numerical models do not even pass simple
comparison with known propagation solutions
–  Semi-analytical propagation solutions are a huge help for the
development of robust solver
–  Laboratory experiments of shear mode fluid-driven cracks (at
sufficient scale) are also required
 Udine, Italy
June 10 to 14, 2019

Coupled processes in fracture propagation in geo-

materials: from hydraulic fractures to earthquakes
5 days advanced course
Organized by B. Lecampion & H. Bhat
Lecturers:
•  Harsha Bhat, Dmitry Garagash, Leonid Germanovitch, Brice Lecampion,
Alexandre Schubnel, Robert Viesca
 The usual ‘workflow’

Reservoir Characterization
Log interpretation
Rock properties Well tests
Stresses, Pore pressure

Fracture Modelling
Injection schedule design
Calibration / FracCADE*
ACL Fracture Profile and Proppant Concentration
Example Company
Example Well
1 Original Design
09-02-1996

Lessons learned Real-time monitoring 5000

On the job design changes 5100

Well Depth - ft
< 0.0 lb/ft2
0.0 - 0.2 lb/ft2
5200 0.2 - 0.5 lb/ft2
0.5 - 0.7 lb/ft2
0.7 - 0.9 lb/ft2
0.9 - 1.1 lb/ft2
1.1 - 1.4 lb/ft2
1.4 - 1.6 lb/ft2
1.6 - 1.8 lb/ft2
> 1.8 lb/ft2
5300
3500 4500 -0.2 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0 200 400 600
Stres s - p si ACL Width at Wellbore - in Fracture Half-Length - ft

*Mark of Schlumberger

Stimulation Design

Operations

Perforation / Completion
Selection & design

1 – Data Frac Materials selection

2 – Main injection Fluids & proppant

Complexity depends on criticality of the job: from hours to months of preparation

 PyFrac – an efficient simulator for hydraulic fractures

§  Implicit Level Set scheme

–  Planar 3D mode I hydraulic
fracture propagation
–  Homogeneous elasticity
–  Heterogeneous in-situ stress
–  Heterogeneous fracture
energy
–  Isotropy & Transverse Isotropy
–  Newtonian fluid
•  Laminar or turbulent
conditions
–  Carter’s leak-off in the matrix §  Boundary elements + Finite volume +
Fast marching Method + HF tip
–  Reproduce very well all
asymptotics
available Hydraulic Fracture
§  Open-source
solutions & experiments