Chapter 17. Hydraulic Fracturing for Well Stimulation
17.1. Introduction
When fluid is pumped into the reservoir at a sufficiently high pressure, the reservoir rock will crack open. Continued pumping of the fluid at this pressure will propagate the crack into the reservoir. A slurry can be pumped into the crack to create a slab-shaped zone of high permeability known as a hydraulic fracture. Figure 17-1 illustrates this concept.
Figure 17-1. Diagram of vertical hydraulic fracture.
Since the first edition of this textbook, hydraulic fracturing has been established as the premier production enhancement procedure in the petroleum industry. By 2012, ...
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