Interaction of a Static Hydraulic Fracture under the Constant Pressure of a Fluid with a Natural Fault

Abstract

A numerical model of the interaction between a static hydraulic fracture that is under the constant pressure of a fluid and a natural fault is developed. The model describes the mechanisms of opening and closure of the fault and its frictional slippage. Also, a parametric study of the reinitiation of the hydraulic fracture on the fault is performed and the point of this reinitiation is found. For the first time not only qualitative but also quantitative evaluation of the possibility and point of the fracture’s reinitiation is made. The obtained results are compared with the results of the complete hydroelastic model, including the quasi-static hydraulic fracture propagation and the fluid flow inside. This comparison shows that the developed static model is applicable for the real prediction of the hydraulic fracture’s reinitiation on a natural fracture.