Evaluating Different Approaches to the Prediction of Crack Patterns Induced by Hydraulic Fracturing in the Stimulation of Oil Reservoirs and Introducing a New Approach

Hydraulic fracturing, the process of creating cracks in the ground by injecting a viscous fluid into a well under high pressure, has been widely used in oil and gas industry to stimulate low-permeability petroleum reservoirs. The resultant field data from hydraulic fracturing operations exist mostly in the form of pressure-time curves and the determination of actual hydraulic fracture geometry using this data alone is impossible. Therefore, the design of hydraulic fracturing process and the prediction of fracture pattern are possible only by relying on the advanced mathematical and numerical models. Thus, several analytical and numerical models including 2D, pseudo 3D, and 3D models have been developed during last decades to predict the location, direction, and extension of hydraulic fractures in oil reservoirs. In the present paper, after introducing applications and the mechanism of hydraulic fracturing process, different approaches for analyzing the problem and predicting the crack pattern in petroleum reservoirs will be discussed. Finally, the framework and formulation of a numerical model with the capability of simulating 3D fractures and considering geomechanical reservoir effects and two-phase fluid flow will be presented.