Abstract
In this paper we have studied the effects on fracture initiation and propagation by precooling the borehole region, using our recently developed novel true triaxial apparatus, giving us the capability of recreating fully anisotropic stress conditions with a semi-circular sample geometry. The results show a significant reduction in the injection pressure needed to initiate fracture propagation in a sample with a precooled borehole region, compared to a reference sample at room temperature. Modified Discrete Element Method (MDEM) simulations are underway to support the findings.
