Hydraulic Fracture Propagation Across Pre-existing Discontinuities in an Anisotropic Rock: Experimental Evidence and Insights from Scaling Relations.
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| Title: | Hydraulic Fracture Propagation Across Pre-existing Discontinuities in an Anisotropic Rock: Experimental Evidence and Insights from Scaling Relations. |
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| Authors: | Lu, Guanyi1,2 (AUTHOR) gul51@pitt.edu, Möri, Andreas2 (AUTHOR), Momeni, Seyyedmaalek2 (AUTHOR), Lecampion, Brice2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Rock Mechanics & Rock Engineering. Jun2026, Vol. 59 Issue 6, p5983-5994. 12p. |
| Subjects: | Hydraulic fracturing, Discontinuities (Geology), Dimensionless numbers, Fracture strength, Stone, Fluid mechanics, Dynamic viscosity, Crack propagation |
| Abstract: | Laboratory experiments have been conducted on anisotropic slate specimens to study the behavior of hydraulic fractures (HFs) when encountering discontinuities. The experiments target specific propagation regimes, including toughness-dominated, lag-viscosity-dominated, and transitional regimes, to examine the influence of rock discontinuities on HF growth paths. Our experimental observations reveal that planar HF propagation is favored in the transitional and lag-viscosity-dominated regimes, where HFs exhibit a greater tendency to cross rock discontinuities. In contrast, a significant influence of discontinuity planes is observed in the toughness-dominated experiments, leading to HF diversion or arrest of the HF. The complexity of fracture paths is found to be closely tied to a dimensionless toughness parameter derived from scaling relations. This study highlights the pivotal role of hydromechanical characteristics in shaping complex HF patterns in anisotropic rocks with pre-existing discontinuities. Highlights: Hydraulic fracturing experiments are conducted on anisotropic slate blocks to study fracture growth across pre-existing discontinuities in distinct propagation regimes. The likelihood of fractures crossing rock discontinuities is strongly correlated with a dimensionless toughness K m ; lower K m values facilitate fracture crossing. Higher induced stresses ahead of the propagating fracture front promoting fracture crossing are observed in the viscosity-dominated regime. Lower stress values in the toughness-dominated regime lead to the diversion or arrest of the hydraulic fractures when encountering rock discontinuities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Abstract: | Laboratory experiments have been conducted on anisotropic slate specimens to study the behavior of hydraulic fractures (HFs) when encountering discontinuities. The experiments target specific propagation regimes, including toughness-dominated, lag-viscosity-dominated, and transitional regimes, to examine the influence of rock discontinuities on HF growth paths. Our experimental observations reveal that planar HF propagation is favored in the transitional and lag-viscosity-dominated regimes, where HFs exhibit a greater tendency to cross rock discontinuities. In contrast, a significant influence of discontinuity planes is observed in the toughness-dominated experiments, leading to HF diversion or arrest of the HF. The complexity of fracture paths is found to be closely tied to a dimensionless toughness parameter derived from scaling relations. This study highlights the pivotal role of hydromechanical characteristics in shaping complex HF patterns in anisotropic rocks with pre-existing discontinuities. Highlights: Hydraulic fracturing experiments are conducted on anisotropic slate blocks to study fracture growth across pre-existing discontinuities in distinct propagation regimes. The likelihood of fractures crossing rock discontinuities is strongly correlated with a dimensionless toughness K m ; lower K m values facilitate fracture crossing. Higher induced stresses ahead of the propagating fracture front promoting fracture crossing are observed in the viscosity-dominated regime. Lower stress values in the toughness-dominated regime lead to the diversion or arrest of the hydraulic fractures when encountering rock discontinuities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 07232632 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00603-024-04359-7 |
