Electro-Hydraulic Fracturing of Rocks

This book presents a new fracturing technique that should be considered as a potential alternative, or a companion technique, to hydraulic fracturing of tight gas reservoirs and low permeability rock masses. As opposed to hydraulic fracturing which generates a few numbers of large cracks, electro-hydraulic fracturing induces diffuse micro-cracking and fragmentation of rocks. Laboratory tests demonstrate that increases of permeability by two orders of magnitude can be reached, without major cracking in tested specimens. This book discusses the principles of this new technique, reports experiments which have been developed is order to prove the concept and finally describes the numerical model from which the potentialities of this technique in representative reservoir conditions can be assessed.

Gilles Pijaudier-Cabot is Professor of Civil Engineering at Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour. His research interests cover quasi-brittle materials, concrete mechanics, computational failure models and durability mechanics.

Christian La Borderie is Professor of Civil Engineering at Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour in France. His research interests cover computational failure models for the durability analysis of concrete structures.

Thierry Reess is Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour in France. His research interests cover Pulsed Arc Electrical Discharges and their applications.

Wen Chen is Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Lorraine in France. Her research interests cover the dynamic response of geomaterials.

Olivier Maurel is Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour in France. His research interests cover computational failure models for concrete structures.

Franck Rey-Bethbeder is lead electrical engineer at Total Exploration Production.

Antoine de Ferron is a research engineer at Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour in France. His research interests cover Pulsed Arc Electrical Discharges and their applications.