Numerical Investigation of the Effects of Stress Heterogeneity on the Propagation Behaviors of Hydraulic Fractures in a Shale Oil Reservoir

Minimum principal stress is a key factor governing the hydraulic fracturing behaviors in shale oil reservoirs. Due to the existence of stress heterogeneity, the hydraulic fracture growth and footprints can be affected, and the hydraulic fracturing efficacy can be consequently altered. This phenomenon is especially common during the development of shale oil reservoirs associated with continental sedimentary facies. This study uses a numerical workflow to analyze the effect of stress heterogeneity on hydraulic fracture growth. The numerical workflow consists of an open-source planar hydraulic fracturing model and a derived coupled flow and geomechanics model, which can address the effect of minimum principal stress heterogeneity on hydraulic fracturing. Two types of stress heterogeneity are considered: stress heterogeneity caused by legacy production in the horizontal direction and stress heterogeneity caused by high-stress interlayers in the vertical direction. Simulation results indicate that stress heterogeneity in the horizontal and vertical directions leads to asymmetric fracture growth horizontally and vertically. The corresponding fracture footprints and widths also become asymmetric accordingly. Thin interlayers cannot fully limit the fracture growth, and the fracture height growth can still penetrate through. When the high-stress interlayers are thick enough, the fracture cannot penetrate through them vertically, while the corresponding fracture growth is no longer highly sensitive to the thickness of the interlayer.