A narrow vertical or slanted opening in solid rocks, filled with fluid and coarse sediments.
The term "narrow" means that elongation of the fracture is much longer than its transversal size, called fracture width or fracture aperture.
The contact area between the fracture opening and the rocks is called fracture plane.
All fractures are normally divided into two groups:
| Natural fractures | Induced Hydraulic Fractures |
|---|---|
which are naturally created, | which are created as a result of anthropogenic invasion, called Hydraulic Fracturing |
The difference between the origin of Natural fractures and Induced Hydraulic Fractures translates to the difference in fracture geometry and its dynamic behaviour.
This is why the two categories of fractures are normally covered by different Subsurface E&P Disciplines.
See Also
[ Natural fracture ]
[ Petroleum Industry / Upstream / Well / Well-Reservoir Contact (WRC) / Hydraulic Fracture ]
[ Production / Subsurface Production / Well & Reservoir Management (WRM) / Well stimulation / Hydraulic Fracturing ]
[ Infinite conductivity fracture ] [ Finite conductivity fracture ]
[ Fracture conductivity (FC) ][ Dimensionless fracture conductivity (FCD) ]
[ Fracture half-length (Xf) ][ Fracture width (kf) ][ Fracture volume (Vf) ][ Fracture pore volume (Vef) ][ Fracture permeability (kf) ][ Fracture width (wf) ][ Fracture height (hf) ]