A recently developed unconventional fracture model (UFM*) is able to simulate complex fracture networks propagation in a formation with pre-existing natural fractures. Multiple fracture branches can propagate at the same time and crisscross each other. The behaviour of a hydraulic fracture when it intersects a natural fracture, whether being arrested, crossing, creating an offset, or dilating the natural fracture, plays a key role in predicting the resulting fracture footprint, microseismicity, and improving production evaluation. It is therefore critical to properly model the fracture interaction in a complex fracture model such as UFM.
Part of the book: Effective and Sustainable Hydraulic Fracturing