New prediction method of horizontal principal stress of deep tight reservoirs

As the tight reservoir of Lucaogou Formation in Jimsar sag is characterized as large burial depth and poor physical properties, hydraulic fracturing technology is greatly needed to increase the production. Firstly, based on elastic theory, the borehole displacement formula under stress is derived, then the borehole quasi-ellipse characteristic model is proposed, on this basis, the in-situ stress prediction model based on borehole deformation is constructed. Secondly, the force analysis of diamond bit during drilling is performed, and the continuous prediction formula of elastic modulus based on weight on bit (WOB) and torque parameters is derived. Combined with these two steps, a new model of continuous in-situ stress prediction based on borehole deformation and drilling parameters is established. Compared with the values measured by the acoustic emission method in the laboratory, the deviation between the predicted in-situ stress values and those measured by the acoustic emission method is less than 4%, which meets the accuracy requirements of the fracturing in the oil field. The prediction results show that the minimum horizontal principal stress of Lucaogou Formation is 51.1–62.7 MPa, and the maximum horizontal principal stress is 58.9–69.1 MPa, respectively. The maximum horizontal principal stress direction is NW–SE direction with an angle of about 159°. The results show that the fracture direction in the study area is in accordance with the present in-situ stress direction, which is beneficial to the secondary reconstruction of natural fractures and keeps good opening property of fractures. This study provides a theoretical basis for in-situ stress prediction and compressibility evaluation of tight reservoir.