Laboratory validation of fracture caging for hydraulic fracture control

EGS Collab Team

Laboratory validation of fracture caging for hydraulic fracture control

EGS Collab Team

Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

It is possible to engineer and control the extents of the stimulation rock volume for hydraulic fracturing. Currently, available tools and methods intended to accomplish this task focus on optimizing injection fluid properties, utilizing existing rock stress boundaries, controlling stimulation intervals in the injection well, and manipulating injection pressures and rates. What if it were possible to control hydraulic fracture extents more directly than these methods do and to have confirmation of these extents in the subsurface? For this, we propose a ‘fracture caging’ concept where an array of injection wells and production wells are drilled prior to stimulation as a means to identify and control the extent of a stimulated zone. Positive identification of stimulation extents occurs by monitoring production well pressures and flow rates. Control of fracture extents occurs by control of the production well pressures and arrangement of production wells so as to contain an intended stimulated zone. In this study, we present the fracture caging concept and validate it with laboratory experiments. Numerical modelling with LLNL’s GEOS code is used to predict the effectiveness of the fracture caging concept as it applies to the SIGMA-V (EGS Collab) geothermal energy research field site.

Original language	English
State	Published - 2018
Event	52nd U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium - Seattle, United States Duration: Jun 17 2018 → Jun 20 2018

Conference

Conference	52nd U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium
Country/Territory	United States
City	Seattle
Period	06/17/18 → 06/20/18

Funding

The experimental work was supported in part by Colorado School of Mines though financial support provided by the U.S. Department of Energy under DOE Grant No. DE-FE0002760. This support is gratefully acknowledged. The EGS Collab work in this study is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396 with Los Alamos National Laboratory and under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA2734-I with Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, as led by Contract No. DEAC02-05CH11231 with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and in partnership with different contract numbers with other national laboratories. Research supporting this work took place in whole or in part at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. The assistance of the Sanford Underground Research Facility and its personnel in providing physical access and general logistical and technical support is acknowledged.

Funders	Funder number
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Colorado School of Mines
Geothermal Technologies Office	DE-AC52-06NA25396
Geothermal Technologies Office

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Cite this

@conference{cce2f01d529e41859e8a285c43132645,

title = "Laboratory validation of fracture caging for hydraulic fracture control",

abstract = "It is possible to engineer and control the extents of the stimulation rock volume for hydraulic fracturing. Currently, available tools and methods intended to accomplish this task focus on optimizing injection fluid properties, utilizing existing rock stress boundaries, controlling stimulation intervals in the injection well, and manipulating injection pressures and rates. What if it were possible to control hydraulic fracture extents more directly than these methods do and to have confirmation of these extents in the subsurface? For this, we propose a {\textquoteleft}fracture caging{\textquoteright} concept where an array of injection wells and production wells are drilled prior to stimulation as a means to identify and control the extent of a stimulated zone. Positive identification of stimulation extents occurs by monitoring production well pressures and flow rates. Control of fracture extents occurs by control of the production well pressures and arrangement of production wells so as to contain an intended stimulated zone. In this study, we present the fracture caging concept and validate it with laboratory experiments. Numerical modelling with LLNL{\textquoteright}s GEOS code is used to predict the effectiveness of the fracture caging concept as it applies to the SIGMA-V (EGS Collab) geothermal energy research field site.",

author = "{EGS Collab Team} and Frash, {L. P.} and K. Arora and Y. Gan and M. Lu and M. Gutierrez and P. Fu and J. Morris and J. Hampton and J. Ajo-Franklin and Bauer, {S. J.} and T. Baumgartner and K. Beckers and D. Blankenship and A. Bonneville and L. Boyd and Brown, {S. T.} and Burghardt, {J. A.} and T. Chen and Y. Chen and K. Condon and Cook, {P. J.} and Dobson, {P. F.} and T. Doe and Doughty, {C. A.} and D. Elsworth and J. Feldman and A. Foris and Z. Frone and P. Fu and K. Gao and A. Ghassemi and H. Gudmundsdottir and Y. Guglielmi and G. Guthrie and B. Haimson and A. Hawkins and J. Heise and Herrick, {C. G.} and M. Horn and Horne, {R. N.} and J. Horner and M. Hu and H. Huang and L. Huang and K. Im and M. Ingraham and Johnson, {T. C.} and B. Johnston and M. Maceira and Y. Polsky",

note = "Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2018 ARMA, American Rock Mechanics Association.; 52nd U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium ; Conference date: 17-06-2018 Through 20-06-2018",

year = "2018",

language = "English",

}

TY - CONF

T1 - Laboratory validation of fracture caging for hydraulic fracture control

AU - EGS Collab Team

AU - Frash, L. P.

AU - Arora, K.

AU - Gan, Y.

AU - Lu, M.

AU - Gutierrez, M.

AU - Fu, P.

AU - Morris, J.

AU - Hampton, J.

AU - Ajo-Franklin, J.

AU - Bauer, S. J.

AU - Baumgartner, T.

AU - Beckers, K.

AU - Blankenship, D.

AU - Bonneville, A.

AU - Boyd, L.

AU - Brown, S. T.

AU - Burghardt, J. A.

AU - Chen, T.

AU - Chen, Y.

AU - Condon, K.

AU - Cook, P. J.

AU - Dobson, P. F.

AU - Doe, T.

AU - Doughty, C. A.

AU - Elsworth, D.

AU - Feldman, J.

AU - Foris, A.

AU - Frone, Z.

AU - Fu, P.

AU - Gao, K.

AU - Ghassemi, A.

AU - Gudmundsdottir, H.

AU - Guglielmi, Y.

AU - Guthrie, G.

AU - Haimson, B.

AU - Hawkins, A.

AU - Heise, J.

AU - Herrick, C. G.

AU - Horn, M.

AU - Horne, R. N.

AU - Horner, J.

AU - Hu, M.

AU - Huang, H.

AU - Huang, L.

AU - Im, K.

AU - Ingraham, M.

AU - Johnson, T. C.

AU - Johnston, B.

AU - Maceira, M.

AU - Polsky, Y.

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - It is possible to engineer and control the extents of the stimulation rock volume for hydraulic fracturing. Currently, available tools and methods intended to accomplish this task focus on optimizing injection fluid properties, utilizing existing rock stress boundaries, controlling stimulation intervals in the injection well, and manipulating injection pressures and rates. What if it were possible to control hydraulic fracture extents more directly than these methods do and to have confirmation of these extents in the subsurface? For this, we propose a ‘fracture caging’ concept where an array of injection wells and production wells are drilled prior to stimulation as a means to identify and control the extent of a stimulated zone. Positive identification of stimulation extents occurs by monitoring production well pressures and flow rates. Control of fracture extents occurs by control of the production well pressures and arrangement of production wells so as to contain an intended stimulated zone. In this study, we present the fracture caging concept and validate it with laboratory experiments. Numerical modelling with LLNL’s GEOS code is used to predict the effectiveness of the fracture caging concept as it applies to the SIGMA-V (EGS Collab) geothermal energy research field site.

AB - It is possible to engineer and control the extents of the stimulation rock volume for hydraulic fracturing. Currently, available tools and methods intended to accomplish this task focus on optimizing injection fluid properties, utilizing existing rock stress boundaries, controlling stimulation intervals in the injection well, and manipulating injection pressures and rates. What if it were possible to control hydraulic fracture extents more directly than these methods do and to have confirmation of these extents in the subsurface? For this, we propose a ‘fracture caging’ concept where an array of injection wells and production wells are drilled prior to stimulation as a means to identify and control the extent of a stimulated zone. Positive identification of stimulation extents occurs by monitoring production well pressures and flow rates. Control of fracture extents occurs by control of the production well pressures and arrangement of production wells so as to contain an intended stimulated zone. In this study, we present the fracture caging concept and validate it with laboratory experiments. Numerical modelling with LLNL’s GEOS code is used to predict the effectiveness of the fracture caging concept as it applies to the SIGMA-V (EGS Collab) geothermal energy research field site.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85169774346&partnerID=8YFLogxK

M3 - Paper

AN - SCOPUS:85169774346

T2 - 52nd U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium

Y2 - 17 June 2018 through 20 June 2018

ER -

Laboratory validation of fracture caging for hydraulic fracture control

Abstract

Conference

Funding

UN SDGs

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