Methods for optimal control of hydraulic fracturing process

The problem of optimal control of the hydraulic fracturing process is set as the optimization problem of finding the input parameters vector for the fracture propagation model that provides the minimization of objective functions. Various objective functions based on the output data of the fracture propagation model are considered. The problem is formulated within the framework of multivariate and multiobjective optimization method, which is based on the combined features of fracture propagation model and Genetic Algorithm. Plane radial model of fracture propagation caused by Herschel-Bulkley fluid injection is used to establish relationships between input parameters and fracture growth. The potential of the proposed method for control of hydraulic fracturing process is demonstrated by application to hydrocarbon reservoirs of shallow bedding. Results show that the proposed methods for optimal control of hydraulic fracturing process play the important role in maximization of the volume of mined hydrocarbon with significant decrease of the costs for hydraulic fracturing execution.