Paper: Estimation of In Situ Formation Stress Profiles From Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing Treatment Data

This paper describes a process used to analyze hydraulic fracturing treatment data which leads to the implicit estimation of formation stress profiles. The field example is given for the San Andres formation, where a fracture stimulation was analyzed by history matching the treatment data and a resultant stress profile determined. The stress profile determined was then applied to other surrounding wells which were stimulated, and a consistent match of the treatment data resulted. This procedure leads to a better estimation of created fracture geometry by matching actual treatment data and provides a basis for design and optimization of future treatments. The method of identifying the distance between major stress variations and the magnitude of the difference in this stress will be discussed. The process involves using a 3-D fracture simulator with multi-layering capability, allowing the distance to stress differences to be identified.