Numerical investigation of conjugate heat transfer and temperature-dependent viscosity in non-Brownian suspensions with application to hydraulic fracturing

Abstract

Particle suspensions are relevant in a number of scientific and engineering fields, where they can occur at a wide range of scales. Examples of these include blood flow, flood debris, crystal formation, mineral processing plants and pharmaceutical production. One particular application occurs within the hydraulic fracturing process used in the oil and gas industry. Here, a fracturing fluid with a solid proppant component (typically sand) is pumped into a reservoir to increase low permeability. The fluid pressure fractures the reservoir allowing transport of proppant within the rock. On removal of the fluid, the proppant prevents the closure of fractures leading to increased reservoir permeability and enhanced production of hydrocarbons. To meet ongoing demand for fossil fuels, a growing number of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs are being exploited. One example of this is the coal seam gas industry that has emerged in Queensland, Australia. To facilitate continuing improvement of the hydraulic fracturing performance, the ongoing development of modelling techniques to better understand the physical processes occurring during a treatment is an important goal. The performance of a hydraulic fracturing treatment depends on the physical properties (e.g. density, viscosity) of the fluid to transport the proppant throughout the fracture network and maximise the permeability of the reservoir. Temperature variations from the surface to the reservoir, via the well, can alter these properties and result in unexpected performance of a fracturing operation. Current