Investigation of Fracture Propagation Simulation and Parameter Optimization of Multi-Cluster Temporary Plugging Fracturing

The dense cutting fracturing mode has great potential in the exploitation of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, but it faces the problem of severe uneven crack propagation. Ball-sealer temporary plugging fracturing (BTPF) is capable of effectively facilitating the uniform growth of multi-cluster fractures. In this research, a multi-cluster fracture propagation model for BTPF was established. Then, the impact of ball-sealer efficiency, plugging timing, number of ball-sealer combinations, number of diversions, and perforation number on the propagation of hydraulic fractures after temporary plugging were simulated. The results indicate that ball-sealer efficiency has a significant impact on perforation sealing and fracture propagation. The optimization of the BTPF timing and the combination of ball sealers revealed that deploying 56.25% of the total number of ball sealers at 2/3 of the total fracturing time results in a higher degree of uniform crack propagation. The pattern of throwing more temporary balls in the first plugging and fewer temporary balls in the second plugging is superior to other two-step plugging patterns. The combined application of limited entry and temporary plugging in the fracturing process is more conducive to the uniform propagation of multi-cluster fractures. The fracture uniformity after BTPF is consistently higher than that achieved with limited-entry fracturing. This study provides valuable guidance for the reasonable design of ball-seal BTPF schemes.