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Laboratory hydraulic fracturing tests on cubic granite specimens with a side length of 100 mm were performed under true triaxial stress conditions combined with acoustic emission monitoring. Six different injection schemes were applied to investigate the influence of the injection scheme on hydraulic performance and induced seismicity during hydraulic fracturing. Three of these schemes are injection rate controlled: constant rate continuous injection (CCI), stepwise rate continuous injection (SCI), and cyclic progressive injection (CPI); the other three are pressurization rate controlled: stepwise pressurization (SP), stepwise pulse pressurization (SPP) and cyclic pulse pressurization (CPP). The test results show that the SPP scheme achieves the highest increase in injectivity among the six schemes. The CPI scheme generates the lowest induced seismicity while the improvement in injectivity is the least pronounced. The CPP scheme allows increasing injectivity and decreasing induced seismicity, and is suggested as a promising alternative injection scheme for field applications. Thin section microscopic observations of fractured specimens show that intragranular fractures splitting microcline, orthoclase and quartz grains dominate the hydraulic fractures independent of the injection scheme. The SPP scheme creates the largest fracture length, which explains the highest injectivity value among all schemes. Tests with relatively low magnitude of maximum AE amplitude correspond to short fracture length and small portions of intragranular fractures in microcline grains. Quartz grains are more fractured than microcline and orthoclase grains, and quartz chips (natural proppants) are frequently observed adjacent to hydraulic fractures. The laboratory test results show the potential for hydraulic fracture growth control in field applications by advanced fluid injection schemes, i.e. cyclic pulse pressurization of granitic rock mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new advanced protocol of progressively increased cyclic injection and pulsed injection design for hydraulic fracturing experiments was implemented at 410 m depth in the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory in Sweden. A monitoring array was installed around the tested horizontal borehole to detect the acoustic emissions and micro-seismic events during the fracturing process. The aim is to identify optimized injection schemes to reduce the seismicity related to the fracturing processes. The cyclic stimulation scheme of loading and unloading the fracturing net pressure leads to a lower accompanied seismicity if compared to the conventional hydraulic fracturing with constant flow rates. The related permeability of the tested rock interval can be increased, but this increase is less pronounced than that of the conventional treatments and, especially, if compared to the last of the re-fracturing series with high seismicity increase. Despite these limitations, in field applications with expected high risk of unwanted seismic events, this advanced protocol can be a feasible option to reduce this risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an underground experiment at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) is described. Main goal is optimizing geothermal heat exchange in crystalline rock mass at depth by multistage hydraulic fracturing with minimal impact on the environment, that is, seismic events. For this, three arrays with acoustic emission, microseismicity and electromagnetic sensors are installed mapping hydraulic fracture initiation and growth. Fractures are driven by three different water injection schemes (continuous, progressive and pulse pressurization). After a brief review of hydraulic fracture operations in crystalline rock mass at mine scale, the site geology and the stress conditions at Äspö HRL are described. Then, the continuous, single-flow rate and alternative, multiple-flow rate fracture breakdown tests in a horizontal borehole at depth level 410 m are described together with the monitoring networks and sensitivity. Monitoring results include the primary catalogue of acoustic emission hypocentres obtained from four hydraulic fractures with the in situ trigger and localizing network. The continuous versus alternative water injection schemes are discussed in terms of the fracture breakdown pressure, the fracture pattern from impression packer result and the monitoring at the arrays. An example of multistage hydraulic fracturing with several phases of opening and closing of fracture walls is evaluated using data from acoustic emissions, seismic broad-band recordings and electromagnetic signal response. Based on our limited amount of in situ tests (six) and evaluation of three tests in Ävrö granodiorite, in the multiple-flow rate test with progressively increasing target pressure, the acoustic emission activity starts at a later stage in the fracturing process compared to the conventional fracturing case with continuous water injection. In tendency, also the total number and magnitude of acoustic events are found to be smaller in the progressive treatment with frequent phases of depressurization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclic hydraulic fracturing, which employs cyclic injection with alternating high and low injection rates or pressurization, is suggested to assist in reducing induced seismicity. Our laboratory work demonstrates the impact of cyclic hydraulic fracturing on tensile-dominated fracturing of intact Pocheon granite core specimens. Cyclic injection of water reduces the breakdown pressure by up to ∼20% and the maximum acoustic emission amplitude is reduced by ∼14 dB on average. We observe hydraulic fractures in granite specimens through using computed tomography. Cyclic hydraulic fracturing creates complex fractures with more branches and smaller apertures compared with those created by continuous injection. The average injectivity of the fractured specimens by cyclic injection is smaller than the injectivity measured on specimens fractured by continuous injection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]