Study on proppant settlement and migration in a single microfracture

Abstract

Micro-fractures are widely developed in deep shale gas reservoirs after fracturing. Effective support of micro-fractures is of great significance to slow down the production decline rate of shale gas Wells. When the particles enter the fracture, they can be effectively supported to provide a channel with high conductivity for oil and gas transport. The level of conductivity depends on the distribution of proppant in the fracture, so it is very important to analyse and describe the settlement, migration and placement of proppant. Therefore, based on CFD-DEM method, this paper systematically studied the migration and placement of proppant in a single rough micro-fracture, and explored the influence of related factors.