In‐situ stress orientation and magnitude at the Fenton Geothermal Site, New Mexico, determined from wellbore breakouts

Abstract

The acoustic borehole televiewer provides excellent data for the detection and measurement of stress-induced wellbore breakouts. Analog televiewer data from the Fenton Geothermal well EE-3 in New Mexico were digitized and interactively processed for detection and analysis of azimuth and shape of stress-induced breakouts occurring in the well at depths of about 2.9–3.5 km. A statistical analysis of the measured breakout azimuths yields a well resolved orientation of least horizontal principal stress of 119°, consistent with least principal stress data from the Rio Grande Rift. As the magnitude of the least horizontal compressive stress, Shmin, in EE-3 is known from hydraulic fracturing, we present a new method in which Shmin and data on breakout width are used to estimate the magnitude of the maximum horizontal principal stress.