A New Formula for Predicting the Amplitude of the Dynamic Pressure Wave Resulting from Breakdown in Water Gap

Abstract : The study is part of a global research program concerning the development of an alternative electrical stimulation technique for conventional hydraulic fracturing in tight gas reservoirs. More precisely, the goal of this work is to predict the shock wave amplitude induced by an electrical breakdown in water. The influence of the gap length enhancement on the peak pressure improvement will be shown, and the major importance of improving the electrical circuit maximum current will be demonstrated and accompanied by the development of a new empirical formula directly relating to maximum pressure and maximum current. Furthermore, we point out the fact that the frequency spectrum of the shock wave depends from the speed of current injection into the water gap. These results will allow the optimization of the electric fracturing technique by increasing the electro-acoustic yield. \textcopyright 2014 IEEE.