Numerical simulation of hydraulic fracturing process in heterogeneous rocks under different confining pressures
  Revised:October 28, 2002
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DOI:10.7511/jslx20044074
KeyWord:hydraulic fracturing,heterogeneity,failure process,numerical simulation
Yang Tianhong~1  Tang Chunan~
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Abstract:
      Hydraulic fracture is the classical coupling action of seepage-damage and it is very important of understanding the hydraulic fracture mechanisms to deal with the problems of rock seepage stability, such as dam instability and water outburst. On the heterogeneous characteristics of rock at microscopic level, in this paper, a numerical model, which couples the seepage and the failure process, is developed to study hydraulic fracturing phenomenon in permeable and heterogeneous rocks. In this model, material is discretized into a large number of elements with the same size and different mechanical and permeable parameters in order to represent heterogeneity of rock. A coupling analysis of seepage and damage under hydraulic fracturing on rock is performed to simulate the fracture process of rock. The numerical analyses given in this paper indicate that this model is capable in simulating the heterogeneous distribution of stress and permeability of rock subjected to hydraulic fracturing under different confining pressure. The modeling results suggest that the fracture initiation and propagation, the roughness of fracture path and the breakdown pressure are influenced considerably by the heterogeneity of the rock, the numerical results can agree well with the relevant experimental data.