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Experimental Study on Mechanical, Brittleness, and Fracture Behavior of Deep Shales Subjected to Fracturing Fluid-Shale Interactions at Reservoir Temperature and In-Situ Stress Conditions

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Abstract

The time-dependent characteristics of reservoir performance, where deep shale (vertical depth > 3500 m) interacts with fracturing fluid at high temperature and pressure (HTHP) during or after hydraulic fracturing, are closely related to the optimal design of fracturing in adjacent sections. However, the available information on the effect of hydration under HTHP on shale properties is insufficient, especially since the interaction between fracturing fluid and shales with different mineral compositions has rarely been considered comprehensively. In this study, fluid–shale interactions under HTHP were investigated for typical marine shales with different mineral contents (clay-rich, quartz-rich, and carbonate-rich) collected from the Wufeng–Longmaxi Formation in the southern Sichuan Basin, China. The time-dependent characteristics of the mechanical, brittleness, and fracture behaviors of immersion-treated samples at different soaking times were characterized by triaxial compression tests, and X-ray microcomputed tomography (CT) scans of post-test samples. The results show that the evolution of the mechanical parameters with soaking time is different for the three types of shales. The effect of hydration under HTHP on the strength of clay-rich shale and carbonate-rich shale except for the 15-day soaking case ranges from 39.24% to 54.88% and 24.05% to 33.99%, respectively, while the effect on quartz-rich shale is relatively slight, within 20%. The effect of hydration on the shale brittleness was evaluated based on a three-part energy-based brittleness index, in descending order, clay-rich shale > carbonate-rich shale > quartz-rich shale. The crack initiation and propagation during the deformation and failure of the soaked sample are more likely to extend along the direction of the hydration crack. For cases exhibiting quasi-ductile characteristics, hydration-induced microcracks may extend over almost the entire sample, allowing locally concentrated stresses in the immersed sample to be dispersed into each crack during deformation. The experimental results can provide data support and theoretical guidance for fracturing design in deep shale gas exploration in southern Sichuan.

Highlights

  • The evolution of the mechanical and brittleness parameters of THMC-treated shale with soaking time was characterized quantitatively.

  • A three-part energy-based brittleness index, where each part has a well-defined physical meaning related to brittle failure, was used to characterize the shale brittleness at different soaking times.

  • The effect of soaking time and mineral composition on the hydration-induced deterioration of shale was investigated.

  • The deterioration mechanism of THMC-treated shales with different mineral compositions (clay-rich, carbonate-rich, and quartz-rich) was revealed.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52104010, 52104046).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China

    Guokai Zhao, Hanzhi Yang, Xiaolong Wu & Chunhe Yang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, Hubei, China

    Yintong Guo, Lei Wang, Xin Chang, Wuhao Guo & Chunhe Yang

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  1. Guokai Zhao
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  4. Xin Chang
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  6. Wuhao Guo
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  7. Xiaolong Wu
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Correspondence to Xin Chang.

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Zhao, G., Guo, Y., Wang, L. et al. Experimental Study on Mechanical, Brittleness, and Fracture Behavior of Deep Shales Subjected to Fracturing Fluid-Shale Interactions at Reservoir Temperature and In-Situ Stress Conditions. Rock Mech Rock Eng 57, 27–44 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-023-03555-1

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