A fractal approach for surface roughness analysis of laboratory hydraulic fracture

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dc.contributor.authorMovassagh, A.
dc.contributor.authorHaghighi, M.
dc.contributor.authorZhang, X.
dc.contributor.authorKasperczyk, D.
dc.contributor.authorSayyafzadeh, M.
dc.date.issued2021
dc.descriptionAvailable online 15 November 2020
dc.description.abstractHydraulic fracturing treatment in rocks creates surfaces that are not smooth but rough in general. Accurate characterization of surface roughness is necessary to relate fracture deformation to fluid flow. In this study, we analyze the surface of an experimentally generated hydraulic fracture using a practical fractal approach which is capable of modeling applications. The hydraulic fracturing test is conducted using a nearly homogeneous siltstone cube in a true triaxial cell, and a fracture is created showing a perfectly radial pattern. To evaluate roughness, each surface profile is decomposed into large-scale fracture waviness and localized surface roughness considering various length scales. Despite the waviness, estimated roughness amplitudes follow a power-law relation up to a length-scale, showing a fractal nature. Unlike ideal brittle materials with an exponent of 0.5, the roughness exponent is found to vary in a narrow range of 0.1 but exceeds 0.5. The fractal dimension (box dimension) of the hydraulic fracture surface is estimated to be 1.4 showing a good match with roughness exponents. An increase in roughness exponent may indicate an increasing difficulty in fracture propagation and fluid and proppant transport along the fracture. As such, the topology of a hydraulic fracture surface is essential to hydraulic fracture growth to assess fracturing performance.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityAbbas Movassagh, Manouchehr Haghighi, Xi Zhang, Dane Kasperczyk, Mohammad Sayyafzadeh
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 2021; 85:103703-1-103703-16
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.jngse.2020.103703
dc.identifier.issn1875-5100
dc.identifier.issn2212-3865
dc.identifier.orcidHaghighi, M. [0000-0001-9364-2894]
dc.identifier.orcidSayyafzadeh, M. [0000-0002-4414-372X]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/132149
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.rightsCrown Copyright © 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jngse.2020.103703
dc.subjectHydraulic fracturing; Surface roughness; Fracture propagation; Fractal dimension; Triaxial test
dc.titleA fractal approach for surface roughness analysis of laboratory hydraulic fracture
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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