Numerical simulation of multiple hydraulic fractures propagation to determine the proper spacing of the perforation clusters

Numerical simulation of multiple hydraulic fractures propagation to determine the proper spacing of the perforation clusters

In this paper, numerical simulation of multiple hydraulic fractures propagation in low permeable shale gas formations is investigated. For this purpose, this study aims to investigate multiple hydraulic fractures propagation using XFEM-based cohesive zone model (CZM). Because of the stress shadow effects and subsequent problems such as fractures deviation, fractures propagated from the multiple perforation clusters cannot be closer than a specific spacing which requires proper design. To determine proper spacing of the clusters, the issues such as deviation, opening, and potential propagation of the fractures are considered. According to the results, the clusters with about 30 meters spacing were determined by a proper design in this formation