Studies of Hydraulic Fracture-Propagation Behavior in Presence of Natural Fractures: Fully Coupled Fractured-Reservoir Modeling in Poroelastic Environments

Abstract

In this paper, the propagation behavior of an induced hydraulic fracture in the presence of a natural fracture is described. A complex meshing and finite-element technique are employed to couple a poroelastic formation, a hydraulic fracture, and an arbitrarily oriented natural fracture. Possibilities of fracture deviation, arrest, and crossing for various angles of approach are investigated under different scenarios of in situ stress contrast, rock strength, and natural fracture geometry (length). Results of this study show that orientation of natural fracture and its length have a profound effect on induced hydraulic fracture propagation. It has been observed that, in most cases, the induced hydraulic fracture crosses short natural fractures (