Abstract Extraction of geothermal energy, oil and gas, and coalbed methane (CBM) are all constrained by the rock’s permeability. To stimulate the production, hydraulic fracturing has become a routine procedure, which is influenced by many factors especially the pre-existing natural fractures. The natural fractures have various characteristics, such as aperture, persistence, and density, which have different effects on the hydraulic performance. Hence, it is necessary to study the dependence of hydraulic fracturing on natural fracture parameters to improve its effectiveness. In this research, the distribution of natural fracture is generated using the discrete fracture network (DFN) to study these relationships. To verify the accuracy, the numerical model is calibrated at a particular case with observed data and then continued to different fragmentation characteristics. Results show that the hydraulically fractured area has an inverse relationship with the natural fracture aperture. However, the increase of pre-existing fracture persistence first causes the fractured zone to increase but increasing persistence of natural fractures further causes the area to decrease. Parametric study shows that pre-existing natural fractures play a critical role in hydraulic fracturing effectiveness, which ultimately affects the production.

中文翻译：

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天然裂缝特征对使用离散裂缝网络 (DFN) 进行深层能量提取的水力压裂性能的作用

摘要 地热能、油气、煤层气（CBM）的开采都受到岩石渗透率的制约。为增产，水力压裂已成为常规程序，其受到多种因素的影响，特别是预先存在的天然裂缝。天然裂缝具有不同的特征，如孔径、持续性和密度，对水力性能有不同的影响。因此，有必要研究水力压裂对天然裂缝参数的依赖性，以提高其有效性。在本研究中，使用离散裂缝网络 (DFN) 生成天然裂缝的分布以研究这些关系。为了验证准确性，数值模型在特定情况下用观测数据校准，然后继续到不同的破碎特征。结果表明，水力压裂面积与天然裂缝孔径成反比关系。然而，先有裂缝持续性的增加首先导致裂缝带增加，但天然裂缝持续性的增加进一步导致面积减少。参数研究表明，预先存在的天然裂缝对水力压裂的有效性起着至关重要的作用，最终会影响生产。原有裂缝持续性的增加首先导致裂缝带增加，但天然裂缝持续性的增加进一步导致面积减少。参数研究表明，预先存在的天然裂缝对水力压裂的有效性起着至关重要的作用，最终会影响生产。原有裂缝持续性的增加首先导致裂缝带增加，但天然裂缝持续性的增加进一步导致面积减少。参数研究表明，预先存在的天然裂缝对水力压裂的有效性起着至关重要的作用，最终会影响生产。