A Shear Dilation Stimulation Model for Production Enhancement From Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

Summary This paper presents a model for an alternative stimulation technology for naturally fractured tight gas or hot dry rock (HDR) reservoirs in which conventional hydraulic fracturing is relatively inefficient. The model stochastically simulates field-representative natural fractures by processing field data from cores, logs, and other sources. Deformations of these fractures are formulated as functions of fluid pressure inside fractures and in-situ stresses. The permeability enhancement and reservoir growth pattern are then formulated as functions of fracture deformations. While verified, the capability of the model to simulate field representative natural fractures is found to be satisfactory. The model is also applied to central Australian reservoirs to investigate permeability enhancement behavior with respect to various fracture attributes. The production performance of the proposed stimulation technology is assessed, and its potential for applications to tight gas reservoirs is also found to be very high.