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Symmetric coalescence of two hydraulic fractures.

cam.issuedOnline2018-09-25
dc.contributor.authorO'Keeffe, Niall J
dc.contributor.authorZheng, Zhong
dc.contributor.authorHuppert, Herbert E
dc.contributor.authorLinden, PF
dc.contributor.orcidO'Keeffe, Niall J [0000-0002-8596-054X]
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-23T00:30:41Z
dc.date.available2018-11-23T00:30:41Z
dc.date.issued2018-10-09
dc.description.abstractThe formation of a fracture network is a key process for many geophysical and industrial practices from energy resource recovery to induced seismic management. We focus on the initial stage of a fracture network formation using experiments on the symmetric coalescence of two equal coplanar, fluid-driven, penny-shaped fractures in a brittle elastic medium. Initially, the fractures propagate independently of each other. The fractures then begin to interact and coalesce, forming a bridge between them. Within an intermediate period after the initial contact, most of the fracture growth is localized along this bridge, perpendicular to the line connecting the injection sources. Using light attenuation and particle image velocimetry to measure both the fracture aperture and velocity field, we characterize the growth of this bridge. We model this behavior using a geometric volume conservation argument dependent on the symmetry of the interaction, with a 2D approximation for the bridge. We also verify experimentally the scaling for the bridge growth and the shape of the thickness profile along the bridge. The influence of elasticity and toughness of the solid, injection rate of the fluid, and initial location of the fractures are captured by our scaling.
dc.format.mediumPrint-Electronic
dc.identifier.doi10.17863/CAM.33094
dc.identifier.eissn1091-6490
dc.identifier.issn0027-8424
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/285750
dc.languageeng
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
dc.publisher.urlhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1809233115
dc.subjectcoalescence
dc.subjectfractures
dc.subjecthydraulic fracturing
dc.subjecthydrogel
dc.subjectself-similarity
dc.titleSymmetric coalescence of two hydraulic fractures.
dc.typeArticle
prism.endingPage10232
prism.issueIdentifier41
prism.publicationDate2018
prism.publicationNameProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
prism.startingPage10228
prism.volume115
pubs.funder-project-idRoyal Society (wm090052)
pubs.funder-project-idEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/L505389/1)
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate2018-10
rioxxterms.licenseref.urihttp://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved
rioxxterms.typeJournal Article/Review
rioxxterms.versionAM
rioxxterms.versionofrecord10.1073/pnas.1809233115

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