Stress and rock mechanics issues of relevance to HDR/HWR engineered geothermal systems: review of developments during the past 15 years

Evans KF; Cornet FH; Hashida T; Hayashi K; Ito T; Matsuki K; Wallroth T

Geothermics, Vol.28, No.4, 455-474, 1999

DOI10.1016/S0375-6505(99)00023-1 Export Citation

Stress and rock mechanics issues of relevance to HDR/HWR engineered geothermal systems: review of developments during the past 15 years

Evans KF, Cornet FH, Hashida T, Hayashi K, Ito T, Matsuki K, Wallroth T

This paper reports the findings of the Stress and rock mechanics working group of the Academic Review of Hot Dry Rock/Hot Wet Rock (HDR/HWR) Engineered Geothermal Systems convened in Sendai, Japan in 1997. Key developments in the fields of stress and rock mechanics that are relevant to the development of HDR/HWR systems and that have occurred since the last Academic Review in 1982 are described. Rock mechanics is here taken to include basic studies of fluid flow through fractures. Key unresolved issues that are important for HDR/HWR systems are also discussed.

Keywords:HYDRAULIC FRACTURING PRESSURE;SHUT-IN PRESSURE;FLUID-FLOW;INSITU STRESS;BOREHOLE BREAKOUTS;TENSILE FAILURE;BREAKDOWNPRESSURE;INDUCED SEISMICITY;SURFACE-ROUGHNESS;PRINCIPALSTRESS