Exploring the influence of rock inherent heterogeneity and grain size on hydraulic fracturing using discrete element modeling

The effects of rock inherent heterogeneity and grain size on hydraulic fracture initiation and propagation for different propagation regimes are investigated through two dimensional discrete element modeling. Random particle assembly is used to mimic rock inherent heterogeneity in the numerical model while regular particle assembly is used as the reference. The rock inherent heterogeneity mainly affects the hydraulic fracture net pressure in the...