A numerical study on horizontal hydraulic fracture

A 3D non-linear fluid–solid coupling model for horizontal fracture of vertical well was established with the ABAQUS code. The wellbore, cement casing, perforation, pay layer and barriers were included in the model. Fluid–solid coupling elements were used to describe the behavior of formation stress–seepage flow coupling; pore pressure cohesive elements were employed to simulate the process of fracture initiation and propagation in formation. A typical horizontal fracturing process of a vertical well of Daqing Oilfield, China was simulated with the model. All the concerned parameters in simulation were taken from the field measurements. The simulated bottom-hole pressure evolution is consistent with the data measured from the field. The configurations of the fracture and porous pressure distributions in the fracture are presented and discussed.