Modeling Proppant Deformation and Embedment

Tamás Lengyel
Research Institute of Applied Earth Sciences

Abstract

The purpose of hydraulic fracturing is improving well productivity by creating fractures, which are propped with a propping agent. The success of this process depends highly on the achieved fracture conductivity, which is the product of the fracture width and the apparent permeability of the proppant within the fracture. After hydraulic fracturing treatment, well productivity is definitely affected by the interaction between the proppants and the fracture surface. As the fracture again closes, the resulting pressure deforms the proppants and embeds them in the surrounding rock, which significantly reduces fracture conductivity. This presentation deals with analytical and numerical solutions for modeling proppant deformation and embedment.


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