Velocity anisotropy in the region near a hydraulic fracture: A sensitivity analysis

Fracture opening during hydraulic fracturing treatments changes the in situ stress field in the surrounding rock. We investigate the sensitivity of S-wave velocity anisotropy to increasing uniaxial confining stress. We find the resulting degree of anisotropy is most sensitive to initial crack density and vp/vs ratio. The amount of stress required to produce a specific character of S-wave splitting is most sensitive to initial crack aspect ratio and matrix P-wave velocity. Also, maximum anisotropy is achieved with relatively small amounts of increased stress. Presentation Date: Tuesday, September 26, 2017 Start Time: 3:05 PM Location: 360D Presentation Type: ORAL