Research on the Mechanism of Reverse Sand Addition in Horizontal Shale Gas Well Fracturing Based on Intergranular Erosion of Proppants in near Wellbore Fractures
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: To improve fracturing support efficiency of terrestrial shale oil reservoirs with uneven proppant placement, this study used complex mesh flat-plate simulations and ANSYS FLUENT (2020) simulations to test four sand addition processes. Proppants were 70/140 mesh quartz sand with a density of 2650 kg/m3 and 40/70 mesh ceramic particles with a density of 2000 kg/m3, and the carrier was hydroxypropyl guar gum fracturing fluid with a viscosity of 4.46–13.4 mPa·s at 25 °C. Alternating sand addition performed best: sand-laying efficiency reached 52 percent, 10 percentage points higher than continuous sand addition and 12 percentage points higher than mixed sand addition; sand embankment void area was 1400 cm2, 18.3 percent lower than continuous sand addition; proppant entry into secondary cracks increased 23.8 percent compared with reverse sand addition; at branch crack Position 2, 1.3 m from the inlet and at a 90-degree angle, its equilibrium height was 210 mm and paving rate 0.131. This study fills gaps of no systematic multi-process comparison and insufficient quantification of crack geometry–sand parameter coupling in existing research; its novelty lies in the unified visualization comparison of four processes, revealing geometry–parameter coupling and integrating experiment simulation; the optimal scheme also improves fracture support efficiency 21.5 percent compared with conventional continuous sand addition.
Source: Applied Sciences
DOI: 10.3390/app15179589
Authors: Xuanyu Liu, Faxin Yi, Song Guo, Meijia Zhu, Yujie Bai
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
OpenAlex ID: W4413916470