Acoustic Emission Source Mechanisms Evaluation of Hydraulically Induced Fractures in Brittle Rocks
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Date
2021-06
Publication Type
Conference Paper
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yes
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Abstract
Hydraulic fracturing is a very complex process that involves the coupling of different competing mechanisms, such as mechanical deformation, fluid flow, and propagation of fractures. Therefore, understanding hydraulic fracturing and its characteristics are both critical and challenging. In the field, seismic monitoring has been used to ascertain the efficiency of the hydraulic fracturing operation by mapping the generated hydraulic fractures and their evolution. Shearing-type mechanisms were found to be dominating, based on the recorded seismic data, despite affiliating tensile fracture opening as the predominant mechanism of hydraulic fracture propagation. This study involved the hydraulic fracturing of true triaxially loaded low permeability crystalline rock cubes using a relatively high viscosity gear oil at different injection rates. Real-time acoustic emission monitoring was employed to not only map and characterize the geometry of the hydraulic fracture network but also to determine the source mechanisms of the individual cracks through moment tensor inversion. Higher breakdown pressures and larger seismic energy were encountered for higher injection rates with tensile events dominating for all tested injection rates.
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published
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Book title
Proceedings of the 55th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium
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Publisher
American Rock Mechanics Association
Event
55th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium
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Subject
upstream oil & gas; mechanism; specimen; reservoir geomechanics; tensor analysis; hydraulic fracturing; rock mechanics; experiment; amplitude
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03465 - Löw, Simon (emeritus) / Löw, Simon (emeritus)