Numerical modelling of hydraulic fracturing procedure in hydrocarbon reservoirs

Due to the increasing demand for the utilization of hydrocarbon fossil fuels in numerous industries, petroleum engineers push themselves into limits to provide novel and sustainable solutions to enhance the volume of produced oil. There are various methods to improve the productivity for reservoirs of which hydraulic fracturing (HF) treatment is one of the most common ones. HF is a treatment during which by injection of high-pressure fluid, mostly water, fractures are initiated and propagated from well to reservoir so that the rate of production rises. One of the holistic and more confidential solutions to address this issue is the appropriate numeration modelling of hydraulic fracturing simulations. The objectives of this study are to create a 3D numerical model simultaneously coupling solid, fluid, and fracture mechanics equations. For this purpose, cohesive zone model based on the traction–separation law, which is implemented in Abacus software, is used to model a conventional condition of HF treatment. It is observed that the fracture pressure values for the depths 1–3 are 76.7, 82.6 and 85.2 MPa, respectively. Furthermore, the fracture extension pressure is 53, 59, and 65 MPa, respectively. The onset and expansion pressures also increased with increasing depth due to increasing initial stresses.