After hydraulic fracturing, some treatments intended for production enhancement fail to yield predetermined effects. The main reason is the insufficient research about the fracture propagation mechanism. There is compelling evidence that I-shaped fracture, two horizontal fractures at the junction of coalbed and cover/bottom layer, and one vertical fracture in the coalbed have formed in part of the coalbed after hydraulic fracturing. Therefore, this paper aims at I-shaped fracture propagation simulation. A novel propagation model is derived on the basis of a three-dimensional (3D) model, and the coupling conditions of vertical fracture and horizontal fractures are established based on the flow rate distribution and the bottom-hole pressure equality, respectively. Moreover, an associated PDA (pressure decline analysis of post-fracturing) model is established. Both models complement with each other and work together to guide fracturing treatment. Finally, a field case is studied to show that the proposed models can effectively investigate and simulate fracture initiation/propagation and pressure decline.
This paper established a numerical simulation model to analyze the pressure transient and rate transient behaviors in reservoir with complex fracture network. Firstly, the fractures are introduced into the coordinate system through the position, angle, and length. Secondly, a mathematical model is established by using unstable seepage model. Thirdly, the central difference method was used to solve the model and local grid refinement method is introduced to describe the network fractures. Finally, we compared the results obtained from this paper’s model with the production data. The results show acceptable and reasonable matches for typical well. Meanwhile, the sensitivity of two properties is discussed. The model solution is verified with an analytical method thoroughly. The novelty of this paper is to introduce each fracture in fracture network into the coordinate system. Then, the grid refinement is achieved according to the fracture information. The presented new model simplifies the analysis of the pressure transient and rate transient of the reservoir with complex fracture network, and it is more efficient than the conventional numerical method. Compared with the analytical methods, the new model describes the fractures system in more detail. However, the new model treats fractures as reservoirs with higher permeability in the central difference method, which is simpler and rougher than traditional numerical methods.
Using the national invention patent equipment, the proppant embedment experiment was carried out on the formation coal seam. The effects of proppant embedment on the conductivity of cracks under different proppant types, different proppant particle sizes, different sanding concentrations and different closing pressures were investigated. The experimental results show that with the increase of the closing pressure, the conductivity of quartz sand and ceramsite decreases rapidly; the conductivity of ceramsite is generally higher than that of quartz sand; the higher the concentration of sand, the proppant filling The stronger the layer’s compressive capacity and crushing resistance, the higher the fracture conductivity. XY ceramsite has the best conductivity.
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