Summary
This paper shows advances in the numerical simulation of proppant transport
in hydraulically stimulated fractures for oil and gas production. Water or
commonly known "slickwater" hydraulicfracture treatments have become
increasingly popular in shale gas. This is widely applied in the Haynesville
shale in northern Louisiana, but because of the large depths and high pressure,
conventional wisdom suggests that intermediate-strength proppants (generally
4,000- to 6,000-psi crush strength) should be used. This strength envelope is
in the transition range between ceramics and sand. Sand is lower in cost and
has the advantage of having better transport properties in water fractures.
In the paper, a 3D computational-fluid-dynamics (CFD) model with Lagrangian
solid-particle transport is used to visualize the propagation of sand and other
lighter proppants in a simulated fracture. The proppant-settling behavior
influenced by proppant density, size, and flow rates is demonstrated. The final
proppant-settling patterns can vary dramatically and may result in significant
changes in the fracture's conductivity.
Model assumptions, simplifications, and numerical details are discussed
along with issues regarding validation and simulation strategy. The model
geometry is highly idealized (i.e., neglecting fracture tortuosity and
expansion during water fracturing, surface roughness, and fluid leakoff). The
importance of this work lies in the fact that the model can resolve the
interactions between fracturing fluid (water) and proppants within complex 3D
geometries, thus providing a better understanding of the fracturing process to
allow for possible enhancements to production procedures.
© 2012. Society of Petroleum Engineers
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History
- Original manuscript received:
23 February 2012
- Meeting paper published:
6 February 2012
- Revised manuscript received:
13 September 2012
- Manuscript approved:
26 September 2012
- Published online:
28 December 2012
- Version of record:
27 February 2013
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