Accurate prediction of stress evolution induced by production pressure depletion after hydraulic fracturing is essential for efficient development of stacked continental shale reservoirs. This study establishes a three-dimensional stress sensitivity and flow coupling framework to characterize intra-layer and interlayer stress evolution during shale oil development. A 3D discrete fracture network (DFN) integrating hydraulic and natural fractures was reconstructed from microseismic data obtained during multi-layer fracturing. Based on this, a stress sensitivity model for interbedded sandstone–shale reservoirs and a V-shaped well layout flow model was developed to simulate single-layer (three-well) and three-layer (nine-well) production scenarios. The reconstructed fracture network revealed that hydraulic fractures propagate laterally away from the zipper fracturing side and vertically upward toward low-pressure zones. During multi-layer development on Platform H, fracture intersections between the middle and adjacent layers produced 0–3 MPa pore pressure interference under different production schedules, indicating the need for optimized inter-well and interlayer spacing. Sandstone layers, characterized by higher permeability and porosity, exhibited a greater increase in horizontal stress difference (2.61 MPa) than shale layers (<0.5 MPa). Stress reorientation angles ranged from 5° to 38° in shale and from 16° to 64° in sandstone layers. These results demonstrate that well spacing should be larger in sandstone layers, whereas infill drilling is more suitable within shale intervals. The proposed modeling and analysis approach provides a theoretical and technical basis for optimizing well pattern deployment and maximizing energy utilization in shale oil reservoir development.
Zhang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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