Estimation of effective geostress parameters driven by anisotropic stress and rock-physics models with orthorhombic symmetry

Estimation of effective geostress parameters is fundamental to the trajectory design and hydraulic fracturing in shale-gas reservoirs. Considering the shale characteristics of excellent stratification, well-developed cracks or fractures and small-scale pores, an effective or suitable shale anisotropic rock-physics model contributes to achieving the accurate prediction of effective geostress parameters in shale-gas reservoirs. In this paper, we first built a shale anisotropic rock-physics model with orthorhombic symmetry, which helps to calculate the anisotropic and geomechanical parameters under the orthorhombic assumption. Then, we introduced an anisotropic stress model with orthorhombic symmetry compared with an isotropic stress model and a transversely isotropic stress model. Combining the effective estimation of the pore pressure and the vertical stress parameters, we finally obtained the effective geostress parameters including the minimum and maximum horizontal stress parameters, providing a useful guide for the exploration and development in shale-gas reservoirs. Of course, ultimately the optimal choice of the hydraulic-fracturing area may also take into consideration other multi-factors such as the rock brittleness, cracks or fractures, and hydrocarbon distribution.