Numerical Simulation in Hydraulic Fracturing: Multiphysics Theory and Applications

The expansion of unconventional petroleum resources in the recent decade and the rapid development of computational technology have provided the opportunity to develop and apply 3D numerical modeling technology to simulate the hydraulic fracturing of shale and tight sand formations. This book presents 3D numerical modeling technologies for hydraulic fracturing developed in recent years, and introduces solutions to various 3D geomechanical problems related to hydraulic fracturing. In the solution processes of the case studies included in the book, fully coupled multi-physics modeling has been adopted, along with innovative computational techniques, such as submodeling.
In practice, hydraulic fracturing is an essential project component in shale gas/oil development and tight sand oil, and provides an essential measure in the process of drilling cuttings reinjection (CRI). It is also an essential measure for widened mud weight window (MWW) when drilling through naturally fractured formations; the process of hydraulic plugging is a typical application of hydraulic fracturing. 3D modeling and numerical analysis of hydraulic fracturing is essential for the successful development of tight oil/gas formations: it provides accurate solutions for optimized stage intervals in a multistage fracking job. It also provides optimized well-spacing for the design of zipper-frac wells.
Numerical estimation of casing integrity under stimulation injection in the hydraulic fracturing process is one of major concerns in the successful development of unconventional resources. This topic is also investigated numerically in this book. Numerical solutions to several other typical geomechanics problems related to hydraulic fracturing, such as fluid migration caused by fault reactivation and seismic activities, are also presented.
This book can be used as a reference textbook to petroleum, geotechnical and geothermal engineers, to senior undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students, and to geologists, hydrogeologists, geophysicists and applied mathematicians working in this field. This book is also a synthetic compendium of both the fundamentals and some of the most advanced aspects of hydraulic fracturing technology.

Xinpu Shen is a Senior Advisor at Guoyang Technology and Services, and formerly a Senior Advisor at Halliburton Consulting.
He received his PhD degree in Engineering Mechanics in 1994 from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. He was lecturer and associate professor in Tsinghua University from 1993 to 1999. Since May 2001, he was a professor in Engineering Mechanics in Shenyang University of Technology, China. From 1997 to 2004, he worked as post-doctoral research associate in several European institutions, including Politecnico di Milano, Italy and the University of Sheffield, UK, etc. He worked as consultant of geomechanics for Knowledge Systems Inc Houston since 2005 and until it was acquired by Halliburton in 2008. He has been coordinator to 4 projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China since 2005. He is inventor (co-inventor) to 10 patents and author (coauthor) to 7 books and 98 related papers among which 30 can be downloaded from OnePetrol.com.

William Standifird currently serves as a Director - Global Technical Practices at Halliburton. In this role he is charged with the invention, development and deployment of innovative technologies that support safe and efficient well construction for petroleum assets. William began his career with Schlumberger as a Drilling Services Engineer where he specialized in the application of petroleum geomechanics to deepwater drilling operations. He subsequently joined Knowledge Systems Inc. and rapidly built a global petroleum geomechanics practice which was acquired by Halliburton in 2008. William has over 20 peer reviewed publications, a Performed by Schlumberger Silver Medal and a Hart’s Meritorious Engineering Award. He holds undergraduate degrees in electronics engineering, management science and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston System.