Hydraulic Fracture Propagation and Proppant Transport in Anisotropic Rock Formations

ABSTRACT: The study explores the effects of proppant size, density, and concentration on fracture network efficiency are investigated to optimize proppant distribution across clusters. We present results of a novel approach to considering proppant transport in multiple hydraulic fractures in anisotropic rock. We employ a DD-based numerical approach to simulate multi-cluster hydraulic fracture propagation in anisotropic formation. The results demonstrate that higher proppant concentrations significantly enhance fracture conductivity, particularly in inner fractures, which experience elevated stress conditions due to stress shadow. Whereas, increasing proppant density accelerates proppant settling, leading to pronounced conductivity variations within the fracture, with higher conductivities observed at the fracture bottom and lower at the top. Additionally, proppant size plays a crucial role in distribution and conductivity outcomes. Larger proppants promote higher conductivity but can lead to uneven distribution due to limited aperture access in inner fractures, while smaller proppants offer a more uniform distribution at the expense of markedly reduced conductivity.