Water hammer response characteristics of wellbore-fracture system: Multi-dimensional analysis in time, frequency and quefrency domain

• Published in: Journal of petroleum science & engineering 2022-06, Vol.213, p.110425, Article 110425
• Main Authors: Qiu, Yang, Hu, Xiaodong, Zhou, Fujian, Li, Zhuolong, Li, Yujiao, Luo, Yinghao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cepstrum analysis; Fourier transform; Fracture diagnostics; Hydraulic fracturing; Water hammer
• ISSN: 0920-4105; 1873-4715
• DOI: 10.1016/j.petrol.2022.110425

Water hammer fracture diagnostics is a promising fracture diagnostic method, which is nonintrusive, economical, timely performed and easily operated. In present studies, the propagation behavior of the water hammer in the wellbore-fracture system remains unclear, which brings uncertainty to locating the hydraulic-stimulated fractures. In this paper, the transient flow model was used to describe the water hammer pressure fluctuation, which was generated after the pump shut down during the hydraulic fracturing treatment, and the wellbore-fracture system was built by introducing the branch pipe to the wellbore as the fracture. The method of characteristics (MOC) was used to solve this model, then was validated by the computational fluid dynamics software FLUENT. Combining water hammer signal analysis in time, frequency, and quefrency domain, the fracture effect on the water hammer response characteristics in the wellbore-fracture system was investigated in multiple dimensions. We then built eight cases to simulate the water hammer pressure fluctuation in different wellbore-fracture systems, including the existence, the varied location and the varied length of the fracture and conducted the multi-dimensional analysis. After that, results were discussed and the response characteristics of the water hammer in the wellbore-fracture system were summarized. From this work, a multi-dimensional analysis method in time, frequency and quefrency domain is proposed. Meanwhile, the water hammer response characteristics of the wellbore-fracture system are sufficiently presented for the first time to accurately investigate the water hammer pressure propagation in the wellbore-fracture system and provide useful insights for water hammer diagnostics in field application. •Water hammer pressure fluctuations in the wellbore-fracture system are simulated for the first time.•a multi-dimensional analysis method in time, frequency and quefrency domain is proposed for water hammer analysis.•The water hammer pressure response characteristics of wellbore-fracture system are sufficiently presented.