Deep Fluid Injection into Fractured Rock

Deep fluid injection (DFI) into fractured rock is used as a disposal method for manufacturing waste water, produced water from oil/gas and geothermal development, and other waste streams. Fluids are typically injected at high pressures and at rates up to tens of barrels per minute. As a result, the process of deep fluid injection can cause profound changes to the effective stress. This alters the rock mass effective permeability and storativity due to the creation of hydraulic fractures, inflated (hydro-jacked) natural fractures, and critically stressed (hydro-sheared) natural fractures.