The investigation of hydraulic fracturing performances of reservoir rocks in hot dry rock geothermal systems in labratory conditions: Aksaray region case study

Hydraulic fracturing has been widely used, especially in the petroleum and natural gas industry, to expand reservoirs and increase production. Over time, various applications of hydraulic fracturing have developed. One of these applications is the creation of impermeable and low-permeability rocks by fracturing them in developable geothermal systems and hot-dry-rock geothermal systems to form reservoirs. In this study, a series of machines and equipment were designed and manufactured to carry out hydraulic fracturing operations on a laboratory scale. By simulating factors that affect hydraulic fracturing under laboratory conditions, various deductions and feedback can be obtained in this laboratory setup. A real three-axis temperature and pressure cell to be used in underground modeling, along with a hydraulic syringe pump to inject fluid into the rocks and induce fracturing, as well as various auxiliary equipment, methods, formulations, and chemicals, were either manufactured or procured and tested to be integrated into the system.