| Title | Exploring Hydraulic Fracture Stimulation Patterns in the FORGE Reservoir Using Multiple Stochastic DFN Realizations and Variable Stress Conditions |
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| Authors | Aleta FINNILA, Robert PODGORNEY |
| Year | 2020 |
| Conference | Stanford Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | FORGE, modeling and simulation, DFN, reservoir planning, stimulation, hydraulic fracturing |
| Abstract | Numerical simulations of hydraulic fracturing require a starting representation of the natural fractures present. The natural fractures in the FORGE reservoir are modeled as a Discrete Fracture Network (DFN). One DFN represents a single realization of a population that is only approximated through knowledge of its averaged properties. While each realization created will share the same average properties, there will be local variations in individual fracture locations, sizes and orientations. In order to find particular DFN realizations that are most useful for refined numerical simulation work, one hundred realizations of the DFN are generated and stimulated using the FracMan code. This code simplifies some of the underlying physics to enable rapid simulation of very large networks and is used as a screening tool to identify representative average and end-member DFN realizations for use by other modelers in more detailed studies of stimulation development. Due to the range of possible stress conditions at the FORGE site, eighteen different stress conditions were applied during the hydraulic fracturing simulations. These included combinations of three principal horizontal stress orientations, three maximum horizontal stress gradient magnitudes, and two different minimum horizontal stress gradient magnitudes. Each stress condition was used for thirty of the DFN realizations while the most likely stress condition was applied to all one hundred DFN realizations. Simulation extents including both inflated fractures and hydrosheared fractures were recorded in the East-West, North-South and vertical directions and patterns analyzed. Patterns in the stimulation bounding box anisotropy with respect to differing stress conditions are highlighted. Stimulation extents in the East-West direction are uniformly smaller than those in the North-South and vertical directions. |