Article

A Numerical Study of Hydraulic Fracture Growth Under One Cyclic Injection

Seqiang Zhuo^1,2, Zaile Zhou^3,4,*, Yinglun Qin^1,2, Yuzhu Kang^1,5, Hui Zhao^3,4,
Lie Kong⁶, Zhihong Kang⁷

¹Guangxi Shale Gas Benefit-Oriented Exploration and Development Academician Workstation, Nanning 53020, China.
² Guangxi Shale Gas Exploration and Development Co., Ltd, Liuzhou 545002, China.
³ School of Petroleum Engineering, Yangtze University, Wuhan 434023, China.
⁴ Hubei Key Laboratory of Drilling and Production Engineering for Oil and Gas, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China.
⁵ Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute, Sinopec, Beijing 102200, China
⁶ Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
⁷ Energy College, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China.

^*Correspondence: Zaile Zhou, E-mail: zhouzaile@yangtzeu.edu.cn

Received: 2026-02-10Accepted: 2026-02-13Published: 2026-02-28

AESIG 2026, 2(1), 43-66; https://doi.org/10.58244/aesig.263587

Abstract

In this paper, a more potential cyclic fracturing scheme, which alternates injection and flowback in each injection cycle, is proposed to promote the stimulation efficiency. Collection and Re-injection of all the flowback fluid into formation to create fractures in the following cycles achieves environmental sustainability. With 2D displacement discontinue method, we model the dynamic behavior of a bi-wing fluid-driven fracture symmetrically emanated from a circular wellbore under the proposed cyclic injection schedule. The results show the fracture continues to propagate despite a flowback operation. A depressurization operation by fast flowback renders the closure of the fracture mouth and pushes up the pressure of the fluid sealed inside the fracture; When restarting the injection, a pressure trough exists along the fracture path and moves towards the fracture tip until the fracture growth resumes. Under the operation of cyclic injection, even deep inside the fracture, it generates cyclic pressure amplitude comparable to the amplitude of injection pressure. The parametric study reveals that a smaller stress difference impairs the fracture mouth width; Low fracture toughness stunts the impact of a cyclic injection rate change on the fracture growth. The relation between the injection pressure and the cumulative fluid volume appears independent of cyclic injection schedules if the product of injection rate and fluid viscosity in each counterpart phase is the same. With fracture growth and no successive cyclic injection, the injection pressure tends to follow the curve generated from constant-rate injection cases.

Keywords: Cyclic injection; Flowback; Behavior of fracture; pressure amplitude; Fracture re-opening; Injection schedule

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Funding

China Academy of Engineering Regional Cooperation Project: “Strategic Research on the Leapfrog Development of Guangxi Shale Gas Industry” (Grant No. GXYD24310009)
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region “Tianshan Talents” Training Program—Science and Technology Innovation Team Project (Grant No. 2024TSYCTD0018)
Guangxi Key Research and Development Program: “Geological Theory and Engineering Technology Research of the First Shale Gas Demonstration Project in Guangxi” (Grant No. AB24010088)
National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant NO.52204055).

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