Numerical Investigation of Interaction Mechanism between Hydraulic Fracture and Natural Karst Cave Based on Seepage-Stress-Damage Coupled Model

Oil/gas is mainly distributed in caves for fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs, it is therefore of significance to effectively connect caves for successful carbonate reservoir development. However, the mechanism and controlling factors that influence the connection between fractures and caves still remain unknown. To investigate how hydraulic fracture interacts with natural karst cave, a coupled seepage-stress-damage model for a vuggy carbonate reservoir is established based on statistical damage mechanics theory and finite element method. The accuracy of the proposed model is validated in comparison with experimental results. Some influencing factors, including fluid pressure in the cave, formation parameters, and construction parameters, are fully taken into account. The study results show that, when the fracture deflection degree is small, a hydraulic fracture can indirectly connect with the cave through high permeable damage units. The matrix heterogeneity that influences hydraulic fracture morphology almost does not affect the interactions between fracture and cave. The higher permeability can lead to insufficient net pressure in the fracture, which is detrimental to the connection between fracture and cave. The ability of the cave to repel fracture is proportional to the in-situ stress magnitude. The higher in-situ stress difference can cause hydraulic fracture extends along with its original path, hindering hydraulic fracture deflection. The compressive stress concentration effect around the cave weakens as the fluid pressure in the cave rises, causing the cave wall to gradually transform from a compressed to a tensioned state. The hydraulic fracture can propagate along its initial trajectory because of the high injection rate’s ability to lessen the impact of the cave. These findings achieve deep insights into interaction patterns between fracture and cave, as well as provide useful guidance for hydraulic fracturing treatment design in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs.