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Effect of loading rates on accurate in-situ stress determination in different lithologies via Kaiser effect

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Abstract

Acoustic emission and hydraulic fracturing are the direct methods for measuring the in situ stress of rock samples in the laboratory. The acoustic emission experiment (Kaiser effect experiment) is the most widely adopted technique which utilizes the Kaiser effect of rocks, in evaluating the in situ stress of core samples. However, during the Kaiser effect experiment, different loading rates exhibit a certain influence on core samples with varying lithology, and to the best of our knowledge, no scholar had critically addressed this issue. In this study, we performed Kaiser effect experiments on rock samples of different lithologies taken from six case study wells in Jidong Nanpu Oilfield, China. Then, we obtained curves showing the relationship between the stress corresponding to the Kaiser effect of limestone, sandstone, gritstone, and mudstone at different confining pressures. Based on the curves, the true values of the in situ stress were determined. The accuracy of the estimated stress from the acoustic emission experiment was validated via a comparative analysis of the in situ stress from the hydraulic fracturing method. The findings revealed that, for sandstone, gritstone, and mudstone, the stress corresponding to the Kaiser effect spots significantly increased with the loading rate, while for brittle rocks such as limestone, the loading rates had a minimal impact on the Kaiser effect. It is recommended to use an optimal loading rate for a better result during a Kaiser effect experiment. This study provides a reliable basis for the experimental evaluation of in situ stress that is relevant Oilfields and mining development projects.

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Abbreviations

MTS:

Mechanical testing and simulation

SAMOS™:

Sensor-based Acoustic Multi-channel Operation Systems

PAC:

Physical Acoustics Corporation

PCI:

Peripheral Component Interconnect

AE:

Acoustic emission

σ v :

Overlying strata stress

σ H :

Maximum horizontal principal stress

σ h :

Minimum horizontal principal stress

P p :

Formation pore pressure

α :

Effective stress coefficient

σ ⊥ :

Kaiser point stress of vertical core

\( {\boldsymbol{\sigma}}_{{\mathbf{0}}^{\boldsymbol{o}}} \) :

Kaiser point stress of 0o horizontal core

\( {\boldsymbol{\sigma}}_{{\mathbf{45}}^{\boldsymbol{o}}} \) :

Kaiser point stress of 45o horizontal core

\( {\boldsymbol{\sigma}}_{{\mathbf{90}}^{\boldsymbol{o}}} \) :

Kaiser point stress of 90o horizontal core

θ :

Angle between 0o the horizontal core and maximum horizontal principal stress

S t :

Tensile strength

P f :

Formation fracture pressure

P r :

Reopening pressure

P s :

Instantaneous shut-in pressure

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank PetroChina Innovation Foundation (Grant No. 2017D50070313), Major National Special Projects (Grant No. 2016ZX05061-009) for the financial support, and the Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum, China (Grant No. PRP/open-1706). Chinedu J. Okere appreciates the scholarship from the China Scholarship Council (2019ZFY020452). The authors thank Prof. Mian Chen Mian, Prof. Yan Jin and Liangchuan Li for their profound contribution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Petroleum Engineering, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, Hubei, China

    Yan Zhang

  2. College of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Changping, Beijing, 102249, China

    Chinedu J. Okere & Guandong Su

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  1. Yan Zhang
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  2. Chinedu J. Okere
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Correspondence to Chinedu J. Okere.

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Responsible Editor: Zeynal Abiddin Erguler

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Zhang, Y., Okere, C.J. & Su, G. Effect of loading rates on accurate in-situ stress determination in different lithologies via Kaiser effect. Arab J Geosci 14, 1304 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-07674-3

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