Potential Thermoelastic and Poroelastic Stresses Effects during the Fracture Propagation of Hydraulic Fracturing Treatments in Horizontal Bakken Wells

摘要

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have been widely applied in the wells to enhance the production from the Bakken oil fields. Previous research for Bakken Formation focused on reservoir characterization, hydraulic fracturing treatments design, and well completion design. However, few has been done on the thermoelastic and poroelastic effects during the hydraulic fracturing treatments in the Bakken Formation. This paper presents a study on the effects of thermoelastic and poroelastic stresses during the fracture propagation of hydraulic fracturing treatments under Bakken Formation conditions. The proposed model assumes the fracturing fluid has much lower temperature than that of the formation. Within the cooled region of the formation, the rock matrix contracts and a thermoelastic stress field will be formed. The results show that thermoelastic stresses have a significant effect on fracture propagation in a hydraulic fracturing treatment. As the treatment time increases, thermoelastic stresses contribute to higher fracture width expansion.