A new mechanistic model for conductivity of hydraulic fractures with proppants embedment and compaction

Lei, Gang; Liao, Qinzhuo; Patil, Shirish

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126606

Cited by 15 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…(1) During the deformation process, the elastic-plastic deformation first occurs when closure pressure increases up to ε e times of yield stress, and the pure plastic deformation first occurs when closure pressure increases up to ε p times of yield stress. 4 (2) The rod-shaped proppants are considered as cylinders crossed at any angle (Figure 1b), and two adjacent proppants are next to others (the space between them is zero). 4 Moreover, the closure pressure and contact areas of the upper and lower surfaces of proppants are the same.…”

Section: Model Assumptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the elastic models were limited, elastic-plastic models were proposed to simulate the more realistic deformation and investigate the proppant embedment depth under various stress conditions. 4,21 In practice, propped hydraulic fractures are under various closure pressure conditions; proppant compaction deformation and proppant embedment occur simultaneously in the hydraulic fractures. 4,24 In addition to pure elastic deformation, elasticplastic and pure plastic deformations of proppants successively occur with the increase of closure pressure, leading to further compaction deformation and embedment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rod-Shaped Proppant Conductivity of a Hydraulic Fracture Considering Elastic-Plastic Deformation and Embedment: An Analytical Model

Tang,

Kang,

Zhao

et al. 2024

Energy Fuels

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Hydraulic fracturing with a proppant is widely employed to create fracture networks and enhance the conductivity of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. However, the proppant conductivity tends to decrease due to the increasing closure pressure and temperature during long-term production. Hence, it is of great significance to quantitatively characterize the effects of thermal expansion and mechanical behaviors of proppant deformation and embedment on hydraulic fracture conductivity. In this paper, an analytical model is proposed for revealing physical relations between rod-shaped proppant conductivity and various impacting factors, and the model is validated against available experimental data. Results show that with increasing closure pressure and temperature, the rod-shaped proppant experiences pure elastic, elastic-plastic, pure plastic deformation, and linear thermal expansion, which leads to a declining proppant conductivity. Effects of critical parameters on the proppant deformation and proppant conductivity evolution are also investigated. Specifically, the proppant conductivity shows a positive relationship with the proppant aspect ratio. It is also found that with increasing closure pressure, the proppant conductivity variation can be divided into five stages. This model provides insights into the proppant deformation, embedment, and productivity, by which suggestions can be offered to optimize the parameter design in the hydraulic fracturing process, helping to realize the efficient extraction of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs.

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Section: Model Assumptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rod-Shaped Proppant Conductivity of a Hydraulic Fracture Considering Elastic-Plastic Deformation and Embedment: An Analytical Model

Tang,

Kang,

Zhao

et al. 2024

Energy Fuels

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“…Conventional reservoirs typically possess well-defined and interconnected pore systems that facilitate the flow of hydrocarbons through the rock matrix. The permeability of these reservoirs is primarily determined by the size, shape, and distribution of these macro-scale pores and fractures [ 5 ]. Traditional measurement techniques, such as core analysis and well logging, have been effective in characterizing and evaluating these reservoirs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Permeability Prediction of Nanoscale Porous Materials Using Discrete Cosine Transform-Based Artificial Neural Networks

You

Liao

et al. 2023

Materials

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The permeability of porous materials determines the fluid flow rate and aids in the prediction of their mechanical properties. This study developed a novel approach that combines the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and artificial neural networks (ANN) for permeability analysis and prediction in digital rock images, focusing on nanoscale porous materials in shale formations. The DCT effectively captured the morphology and spatial distribution of material structure at the nanoscale and enhanced the computational efficiency, which was crucial for handling the complexity and high dimensionality of the digital rock images. The ANN model, trained using the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm, preserved essential features and demonstrated exceptional accuracy for permeability prediction from the DCT-processed rock images. Our approach offers versatility and efficiency in handling diverse rock samples, from nanoscale shale to microscale sandstone. This work contributes to the comprehension and exploitation of unconventional resources, especially those preserved in nanoscale pore structures.

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“…High permeability zones affect flow dynamics, inducing excessive infiltration and causing rapid dissipation of the pressures. Hence, the fracture conductivity in weakly cemented soils is susceptible to the variations of the effective stresses [58]. Rhett and Teufel [59] argued that the maximum horizontal permeability is influenced by stress ratios and the orientation of the maximum horizontal stress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Porosity, Hydraulic Conductivity, Strength, and Flow Rate on Fluid Flow in Weakly Cemented Bio-Treated Sands

Konstantinou

Biscontin

2022

Hydrology

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Fluid injection in a porous medium is the underlying mechanism for many applications in the fields of groundwater hydraulics, hydrology and hydrogeology, and geo-environmental engineering and in the oil and gas industry. Fluid flow experiments in porous media with a viscous fluid at varying injection rates were conducted in a modified Hele-Shaw setup. The granular media were three-dimensional bio-cemented sands of various grain sizes across various cementation levels, generating a matrix of various hydraulic conductivities, porosities, and strengths. The fluid injection experiments showed that a cavity-like fracture developed, which transitioned to crack-like fractures at higher cementation levels (hence, higher strength). As the flow rate increased, less infiltration was evident and higher breakdown pressure was observed, with propagation pressure reducing to zero. It was harder to induce an opening in cemented specimens with higher hydraulic conductivity and a larger pore network despite their lower strength due to excessive infiltration dominance, which inhibited the build-up of pressure required to generate a fracture. The results of this study suggest that, when designing fluid injection programs, the combined effects of hydraulic conductivity and strength need to be carefully considered.

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A new mechanistic model for conductivity of hydraulic fractures with proppants embedment and compaction

Cited by 15 publications

References 53 publications

Rod-Shaped Proppant Conductivity of a Hydraulic Fracture Considering Elastic-Plastic Deformation and Embedment: An Analytical Model

Rod-Shaped Proppant Conductivity of a Hydraulic Fracture Considering Elastic-Plastic Deformation and Embedment: An Analytical Model

Permeability Prediction of Nanoscale Porous Materials Using Discrete Cosine Transform-Based Artificial Neural Networks

Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Porosity, Hydraulic Conductivity, Strength, and Flow Rate on Fluid Flow in Weakly Cemented Bio-Treated Sands

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