Micro-seismic monitoring of scaled laboratory hydraulic fracturing
experiments for different fracture propagation regimes
Abstract
While hydraulic fracturing is a widely employed process, the underlying
fracturing processes are not clearly understood. Scaled laboratory
hydraulic fracturing experiments with seismic monitoring can help with
better understanding of the relationship between the generated hydraulic
fracture network and the induced micro-seismicity while taking into
account the effect of different HF parameters (injection fluid type and
rate, stress conditions). In this study, hydraulic fracturing
experiments were performed on true-triaxially loaded Barre granite
cubes, with real-time micro-seismic monitoring, to identify and
characterize the stimulation processes associated with the viscosity and
toughness dominated hydraulic fracturing propagation regimes. Water and
gear oil were used as the fracturing fluids. Moment tensor inversion
technique was employed to determine the fracture mechanisms (tensile,
shear, or mixed-mode). Viscosity propagation regime experiments involved
higher breakdown pressures and larger injection fluid volumes relative
to toughness propagation regime experiments. The micro-seismicity from
toughness propagation regime experiments resulted in relatively larger
b-value (2.35 compared to 1.62), indicating dominance of small magnitude
events. Overall, tensile fractures were dominant in both propagation
regimes (ranging from 52% to 58%), which can be attributed to the very
low permeability of the granite rock. These results indicate that even
for a relatively impermeable rock, theoretical assumptions of mode-I
tensile fracturing and the scaling analysis may only be applicable to
the near borehole region and as the fracture propagates away from the
borehole, the fracturing pattern varies depending on the locally
encountered conditions.