A refined evaluation method for in situ stresses in orthotropic shale formations

ZENG Bo; GUI Junchuan; HUANG Haoyong; MA Tianshou; CUI Shuai; ZHONG Guanghai; XU Ersi

doi:10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2025002

Volume 32 Issue 2

Apr. 2026

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ZENG B，GUI J C，HUANG H Y，et al.，2026. A refined evaluation method for in situ stresses in orthotropic shale formations[J]. Journal of Geomechanics，32（2）：1−17 doi: 10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2025002

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A refined evaluation method for in situ stresses in orthotropic shale formations

doi: 10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2025002

ZENG Bo^{1, 2
,},
GUI Junchuan^{1, 2
,
,},
HUANG Haoyong^{1, 2},
MA Tianshou³,
CUI Shuai^{1, 2},
ZHONG Guanghai^{1, 2},
XU Ersi^{1, 2}

1.
Shale Gas Research Institute, Southwest Oil and Gas Field Company, PetroChina, Chengdu 610051, Sichuan, China
2.
Sichuan Key Laboratory of Shale Gas Geological Evaluation and Efficient Development, Chengdu 610051, Sichuan, China
3.
Southwest Petroleum University, National Key Laboratory for Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Development Engineering, Chengdu 610500, Sichuan, China

Funds: This research is financially supported by NSF of China (Grant 52374045), the Research Project of the Southwest Oil & Gas Field Branch of PetroChina (20220304-20), and the Science and Technology Special Project of China National Petroleum Corporation (2023ZZ14)

More Information

Received: 2025-01-13
Revised: 2025-10-29
Accepted: 2025-11-11

Available Online: 2026-03-31

Abstract

Abstract

Objective To address the scarcity of methods for evaluating in situ stress in orthotropic media, this study aims to develop a comprehensive in situ stress evaluation method in shale formations by incorporating the orthotropic (ORT) characteristics of rocks. Methods The method first establishes the conversion relationship between the dynamic and static mechanical parameters of anisotropic rocks. Based on the relationship between effective stress and strain, a general analytical expression for the Biot coefficient is derived and specific solutions for different conditions are presented. An orthorhombic shale rock physics model is constructed using well-log data to obtain the stiffness matrix required for calculating orthorhombic elastic parameters and Biot coefficients. Starting from the generalized Hooke’s law for anisotropic media, a complete analytical expression for in situ stress in orthorhombic formations is ultimately derived. Results The application of this method to well x1 demonstrates that: (1) the significant differences in elastic parameters between the horizontal and vertical ORT shale formation directions are addressed by establishing direction-specific dynamic and static parameter conversion models, enhancing the conversion accuracy of static rock elastic parameters; (2) the Biot coefficient α₁₁ perpendicular to the bedding plane is significantly smaller than α₃₃, with an average relative difference of 13.4%, while the differences between α₁₁ and α₂₂ parallel to the bedding plane are relatively small, indicating remarkable anisotropic characteristics of the Biot coefficients; (3) the ORT model not only provides a detailed stress profile that clearly reflects the V-shaped stress fluctuations caused by changes in clay content but also reduces the prediction errors of the minimum and maximum horizontal principal stresses to 1.9% and 4.0%, respectively. These values are lower than those of the traditional vertical-transverse-isotropy (VTI) model (5.8%, 5.2%) and the isotropy (ISO) model (8.2%, 10.9%). Conclusion The ORT in-situ stress evaluation method offers a more accurate and detailed assessment of in situ stress in shale formations, which is significant for refining the design of drilling fluid density windows, developing fracturing parameters and processes, and determining well shutdown time after fracturing.
- shale formation,
- orthotropic,
- biot coefficients,
- in situ stress evaluation

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