New P3D hydraulic fracturing model based on the radial flow

Pseudo three-dimension (PSD) hydraulic fracturing models often overpredict the fracture height for a poorly contained fracture. To solve this problem, a new method is presented in shaping the PSD fracture geometry on the basis of the fundamental theory and the original 1D fluid flow is replaced with a more representatively radial flow. The distribution of the fluid in the modified fluid field is analyzed and a sound explanation to the problem is given. Due to the consideration of the fluid flow in the vertical direction, the modified model can predict the fracture height much better. To validate the rationality of the radial fluid flow assumption, the distribution of the fluid in the modified fluid field is simulated with the plane potential flow by using finite element method. And the results agree effectively with those from the assumption. Through comparing with the full 3D model, the results show that this new P3D model can be used to aid the fracturing design and predict the fracture height under poorly contained situation.