Fundamental Governing

Equations for Hydraulic

Fracturing
 MFrac Governing Equations
• Mass Conservation
• Continuity
• Momentum Conservation
• Width-Opening Pressure/Elasticity
Condition
• Fracture Propagation Criteria
 Mass Conservation
• The governing mass conservation equation
for an incompressible slurry in a fracture is:

0 q d  V f t   Vl t   Vsp (t )  0

t

where

C A, t )
Vl t   2 0 0
t A
 dAdt
t    A

 Mass Conservation (cont)

Vsp t   2S p At 
  A  t A / At  1/ a

The above mass conservation equations are

solved numerically in MFrac by elementally
discretizing a fracture grid and then integrating
over each element
 Continuity Equation
The mass continuity equation in terms of the flow
rate per unit length q=vW is:
  W
  q  2q L  0
t
where
 
  q  q x x  qz z and q L is the leakoff rate per
unit leakoff area (i.e., leakoff velocity)
 Momentum Conservation
The momentum equation (equation of motion)
for steady flow is:

 2 3
P   1 f q / w
2
where
f  24 / Re; laminar flow
f  f (Re,  / W ); turbulent flow

f is the Darcy friction factor, Re is the Reynolds

Number and  is the relative wall roughness
 Width-Opening Pressure
The crack-opening and opening pressure
relationship is of the form:

21  v 
W  x , z , t   W  x , y , z , t  H P x ,0, t 
G
where

W is a generalized influence function, H is a characteristic

half-height and P is the net fracture pressure, P-
 Fracture Propagation Criteria
• The criterion for fracture propagation is
based on the concept of a stress intensity
factor KI
• The fracture will propagate when the stress
intensity factor equals the fracture
toughness KIC or the critical stress intensity
of the rock (KI = KIC or I = IC)
whichever is greater
 Fracture Toughness
• Obtained from the concept of stress
intensity factor in linear elastic fracture
mechanics (LEFM)
• Fracture toughness is a measure of a
materials resistance to fracture propagation
• It is proportional to the amount of energy
that can be absorbed by the material before
propagation occurs
Fracture Toughness
Non-Linear Elastic Model
Why do fractures propagate into barriers even when the net pressure
in the fracture is pnet, is less than the stress difference between the
pay zone and the barrier?
pnet < su,l -σp

The energy balance in a propagating fracture is determined by the

stress intensity (KI) at a point and the critical stress intensity factor or
fracture toughness (KIC).

Propagation occurs when: KI KIC

 h 
12
 2  s u ,l  s p  1  H 
K l   p f  s p   1    cos  
 2    p f  s p   h 

p f  fluid pressure in the fracture

s p = in - situ stress in the pay interval
s u ,l = in - situ stress, upper & lower interval
H = pay interval thickness
h = fracture height
 Sources of Pressure Loss in A Fracture

Pressure
Source Pf Ptip PKIc

 2 
Frictional q
Pf   21 f 3 ; f  24 Re ; Re 
 q  
Resistance: W  fluid ; q   w
 2 
Tip Resistance: Ptip   21 f
q
; f  24 ; Re   q
W 3 Re a .tip

Critical Pressure: P K IC  is a proportionality constant that depends

 ;
(No stress contrast) KIC H  on the shape of the fracture front. H is the
characteristic fracture dimension (e.g., PKN-H,
GDK-L, Radial-R).
Fracture Pressure Distribution
 System Pressure Losses
HP =(Psurf)(rate)/40.8
Psurf
BHFP =Psurf+PHH-Ppipe-PNW

BHFP sHmin + Pfrac+ stip

Psurf =BHTP-PHH+Ppipe
PHH
Ppipe
Closure Pressure  sHmin
sHmin
Net Pressure Pfrac - sHmin

Pfrac PNW stip

Pfrac
 Dimensionless Fracture
Conductivity - FCD
k f wf
FCD 
kr x f
where
F  dimensionless fracture conductivity
CD
k w  fracture conductivity, md-m
f f
kr  reservoir permeability, md
x  fracture half-length, m
f