Numerical study of interaction between a hydraulic fracture and a weak plane using the bonded-particle model based on moment tensors

To better investigate hydraulic fracturing in tight reservoirs, interaction modes between a hydraulic fracture and a weak plane are studied with acoustic emission (AE) based on moment tensor under different differential stresses (Δσ) and approaching angles (β). Failure nature of hydraulic fracture is mainly tensile based on moment tensors except that the hydraulic fracture propagates into weak plane. At β = 30°, the hydraulic fracture is arrested by the weak plane. The failure nature of weak plane changes from ‘Shear’ (Δσ = 10, 7 and 5 MPa) to ‘Tensile’ (Δσ = 3 MPa). At β = 60°, the hydraulic fracture branches into weak plane as crossing, the nature of which is ‘Shear’ as differential stress decreases from 10 MPa to 5 MPa. At β = 90°, the hydraulic fracture crosses the weak plane perpendicularly.