To better understand the interaction between hydraulic fracture and oriented perforation, a fully coupled finite element method (FEM)-based hydraulic-geomechanical fracture model accommodating gas sorption and damage has been developed. Damage conforms to a maximum stress criterion in tension and to Mohr–Coulomb limits in shear with heterogeneity represented by a Weibull distribution. Fracturing fluid flow, rock deformation and damage, and fracture propagation are collectively represented to study the complexity of hydraulic fracture initiation with perforations present in the near-wellbore region. The model is rigorously validated against experimental observations replicating failure stresses and styles during uniaxial compression and then hydraulic fracturing. The influences of perforation angle, in situ stress state, initial pore pressure, and properties of the fracturing fluid are fully explored. The numerical results show good agreement with experimental observations and the main features of the hydraulic fracturing process in heterogeneous rock are successfully captured. A larger perforation azimuth (angle) from the direction of the maximum principal stress induces a relatively larger curvature of the fracture during hydraulic fracture reorientation. Hydraulic fractures do not always initiate at the oriented perforations and the fractures induced in hydraulic fracturing are not always even and regular. Hydraulic fractures would initiate both around the wellbore and the oriented perforations when the perforation angle is >75°. For the liquid-based hydraulic fracturing, the critical perforation angle increases from 70° to 80°, with an increase in liquid viscosity from 10−3 Pa·s to 1 Pa·s. While for the gas fracturing, the critical perforation angle remains 62° to 63°. This study is of great significance in further understanding the near-wellbore impacts on hydraulic fracture propagation and complexity.
21 March 2024 in International Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials
The volume evolution behavior of rock fissures and the characteristics of acoustic emission under cyclic loading are critical for rock stability analysis. To study the volume change behavior of monzogranite fissures and the characteristics of acoustic emission signals under cyclic loading, we selected samples of monzogranite at − 1600 m from a gold mine located in the Jiaodong Peninsula at a depth of − 1600 m and investigated the samples using triaxial cyclic loading—unloading tests and acoustic emission monitoring. As the volume change behavior of the monzogranite fissures and acoustic emission signals were monitored and recorded, the calculated fracture volume strain ratio coefficient and acoustic emission entropy value were proposed to describe the evolution process of fissures inside the rock. The research results showed that the volume strain ratio curve of the rock fractures exhibited a logarithmic variation characteristic during the cyclic loading and unloading, and the fracture volume strain ratio better reflected the relative scale of the internal fracture strain in the rock to the total volume strain. The acoustic emission entropy value reflected the crack evolution behavior during the loading and failure processes, which was a rapid decline in the initial stage of loading and a rapid upward trend in the failure stage. The observed “V”-shaped change in the acoustic emission entropy can be used as an early warning for rock failure. The research results can provide theoretical guidance for rock stability analysis.
To study the crack evolution law and failure precursory characteristics of deep granite rocks in the process of deformation and failure under high confining pressure, granite samples obtained from a depth of 1150 m are tested using a TAW-2000 triaxial hydraulic servo testing machine and a PCI-II acoustic emission monitoring system. Based on the stress–strain curve and IET function, the loading process of the sample is divided into five stages: crack closure, linear elastic deformation, microcrack generation and development, macroscopic fracture generation and energy surge, and post-peak failure. The evolution trend and fracture evolution law of the acoustic emission signal event interval function in different stages are analyzed. In particular, the signals with an amplitude greater than 85 dB, a peak frequency greater than 350 kHz, and a frequency centroid greater than 275 kHz are defined as the failure precursor signals before the rock reaches the peak stress. The defined precursor signal conditions agree well with the experimental results. The time–frequency analysis and wavelet packet decomposition of the precursor signal are performed on the extracted characteristic signal of the failure precursor. The results show that the time-domain signal is in the form of a continuous waveform, and the frequency-domain waveform has multi-peak coexistence that is mainly concentrated in the high-frequency region. The energy distribution obtained by the wavelet packet decomposition of the characteristic signal is verified with the frequency-domain waveform. The energy distribution of the signal is mainly concentrated in the 343.75–375 kHz frequency band, followed by the 281.25–312.5 kHz frequency band. The energy proportion of the high-frequency signal increases with the confining pressure.