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Effect of Foliation and Fluid Viscosity on Hydraulic Fracturing Tests in Mica Schists Investigated Using Distinct Element Modeling and Field Data

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Abstract

Several hydraulic fracturing tests were performed in boreholes located in central Hungary in order to determine the in-situ stress for a geological site investigation. At a depth of about 540 m, the observed pressure versus time curves in mica schist with low dip angle foliation shows atypical pressure versus time results. After each pressurization cycle, the fracture breakdown pressure in the first fracturing cycle is lower than the refracturing or reopening pressure in the subsequent pressurizations. It is assumed that the viscosity of the drilling mud and observed foliation of the mica schist have a significant influence on the pressure values. In order to study this problem, numerical modeling was performed using the distinct element code particle flow code, which has been proven to be a valuable tool to investigate rock engineering problems such as hydraulic fracturing. The two-dimensional version of the code applied in this study can simulate hydro-mechanically coupled fluid flow in crystalline rock with low porosity and pre-existing fractures. In this study, the effect of foliation angle and fluid viscosity on the peak pressure is tested. The atypical characteristics of the pressure behaviour are interpreted so that mud with higher viscosity penetrates the sub-horizontal foliation plane, blocks the plane of weakness and makes the partly opened fracture tight and increase the pore pressure which decreases slowly with time. We see this viscous blocking effect as one explanation for the observed increase in fracture reopening pressure in subsequent pressurization cycles.

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Abbreviations

HF:

Hydraulic fracturing

LOT:

Leak-off test

xLOT:

Extended leak-off test

FBP:

Fracture breakdown pressure

NPP:

Nuclear power plant

RFP:

Refracturing pressure or reopening pressure

SIP:

Shut-in pressure

ISIP:

Instantaneous shut-in pressure

DPDT:

Derivative shut-in pressure

JP:

Jacking pressure

P f :

Fluid pressure

σ 3 :

Minimum principal stress

σ 1 :

Maximum principal stress

σn :

Normal stress

Sv :

Vertical stress

S hmin :

Minimum horizontal stress

S Hmax :

Maximum horizontal stress

Sxx :

Stress parallel to axis x

Szz :

Stress parallel to axis z

UCS:

Uniaxial compressive strength

BTS:

Brazilian tensile strength

T:

Tensile strength of the rock

Q:

Flow rate

e:

Hydraulic aperture

e 0 :

Hydraulic aperture at zero normal stress

e inf :

Hydraulic aperture at infinite normal stress

α :

Coefficient of decay

η :

Dynamic fluid viscosity

R :

Particle radius

m :

Particle mass

a :

Acceleration

K c :

Contact stiffness

K b :

Bond stiffness

U :

Particle overlap

V inj :

Injected fluid volume

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Golder Associates Hungary for the financial support provided to this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section 6.2 Geothermal Energy Systems, GFZ-German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Márton Pál Farkas & Günter Zimmermann

  2. Golder Associates Hungary, Hűvösvölgyi út 54, Budapest, 1021, Hungary

    Márton Pál Farkas & Gyula Dankó

  3. Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24/25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany

    Márton Pál Farkas & Arno Zang

  4. Section 2.6 Seismic Hazard and Risk Dynamics, GFZ-German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Jeoung Seok Yoon, Arno Zang & Ove Stephansson

  5. Golder Associates, 6925 Century Avenue, Suite 100, Missisouga, Ontario, L5N 7K2, Canada

    Michael Lemon

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  1. Márton Pál Farkas
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  2. Jeoung Seok Yoon
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  3. Arno Zang
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  4. Günter Zimmermann
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  5. Ove Stephansson
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  6. Michael Lemon
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  7. Gyula Dankó
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Correspondence to Márton Pál Farkas.

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Farkas, M.P., Yoon, J.S., Zang, A. et al. Effect of Foliation and Fluid Viscosity on Hydraulic Fracturing Tests in Mica Schists Investigated Using Distinct Element Modeling and Field Data. Rock Mech Rock Eng 52, 555–574 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-018-1598-7

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