Hydraulic Fracture Geometry: Fracture Containment in Layered Formations

One of the main problems in hydraulic fracturing technology is the prediction of fracture height. In particular, the question of what constitutes a barrier to vertical fracture propagation is crucial to the success of field operations. An analysis of hydraulic fracture containment effects has been performed. The main conclusion is that in most cases the fracture will penetrate into the layers adjoining the pay zone, the depth of penetration being determined by the differences in stiffness and in horizontal in-situ stress between the pay zone and the adjoining layers. For the case of a stiffness contrast, an estimate of the penetration depth is given.