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Proppant Transportation in Cross Fractures: Some Findings and Suggestions for Field Engineering

Author

Listed:
  • Yan Zhang

    (Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
    School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Xiaobing Lu

    (Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
    School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Xuhui Zhang

    (Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
    School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Peng Li

    (Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
    School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

Abstract

The proppant transportation is a typical two-phase flow process in a complex cross fracture network during hydraulic fracturing. In this paper, the proppant transportation in cross fractures is investigated by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The Euler–Euler two-phase flow model and the kinetic theory of granular flow (KTGF) are adopted. The dimensionless controlling parameters are derived by dimensional analysis. The equilibrium proppant height (EPH) and the ratio of the proppant mass (RPM) in the secondary fracture to that in the whole cross fracture network are used to describe the movement and settlement of proppants in the cross fractures. The main features of the proppant transportation in the cross fractures are given, and several relative suggestions are presented for engineering application in the field. The main controlling dimensionless parameters for relative EPH are the proppant Reynolds number and the inlet proppant volume fraction. The dominating dimensionless parameters for RPM are the relative width of the primary and the secondary fracture. Transportation of the proppants with a certain particle size grading into the cross fractures may be a good way for supporting the hydraulic fractures.

Suggested Citation

  • Yan Zhang & Xiaobing Lu & Xuhui Zhang & Peng Li, 2020. "Proppant Transportation in Cross Fractures: Some Findings and Suggestions for Field Engineering," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:18:p:4912-:d:415988
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Morteza Roostaei & Alireza Nouri & Vahidoddin Fattahpour & Dave Chan, 2020. "Coupled Hydraulic Fracture and Proppant Transport Simulation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-33, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Reza Rezaee, 2022. "Editorial on Special Issues of Development of Unconventional Reservoirs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-9, April.

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