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The effect of gravity on the shape and direction of vertical hydraulic fractures

Australia has great potential for shale gas development that can reshape the future of energy in the country. Hydraulic fracturing has been proven as an efficient method to improve recovery from unconventional gas reservoirs. Shale gas hydraulic fracturing is a very complex, multi-physics process, and numerical modelling to design and predict the growth of hydraulic fractures is gaining a lot of interest around the world. The initiation and propagation direction of hydraulic fractures are controlled by in-situ rock stresses, local natural fractures and larger faults. In the propagation of vertical hydraulic fractures, the fracture footprint may extend tens to hundreds of metres, over which the in-situ stresses vary due to gravity and the weight of the rock layers. Proppants, which are added to the hydraulic fracturing fluid to retain the fracture opening after depressurisation, add additional complexity to the propagation mechanics. Proppant distribution can affect the hydraulic fracture propagation by altering the hydraulic fracture fluid viscosity and by blocking the hydraulic fracture fluid flow. In this study, the effect of gravitational forces on proppant distribution and fracture footprint in vertically oriented hydraulic fractures are investigated using a robust finite element code and the results are discussed.