Calibration of the Interaction Parameters between the Proppant and Fracture Wall and the Effects of These Parameters on Proppant Distribution

Mingzhong Li, Chunting Liu and Guodong Zhang
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Mingzhong Li: College of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Chunting Liu: College of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Guodong Zhang: College of Electromechanical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, China

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-19

Abstract: Saltation and reputation (creep) dominate proppant transport rather than suspension during slickwater fracturing, due to the low sand-carrying capacity of the slickwater. Thus, the interaction parameters between proppants and fracture walls, which affect saltation and reputation, play a more critical role in proppant transport. In this paper, a calibration method for the interaction parameters between proppants and walls is built. A three-dimensional coupled computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD–DEM) model is established to study the effects of the interaction parameters on proppant migration, considering the wall roughness and unevenly distributed diameters of proppants. The simulation results show that a lower static friction coefficient and rolling friction coefficient can result in a smaller equilibrium height of the sand bank and a smaller build angle and drawdown angle, which is beneficial for carrying the proppant to the distal end of the fracture. The wall roughness and the unevenly distributed diameter of the proppants increase the collision between proppant and proppant or the wall, whereas the interactions have little impact on the sandbank morphology, slightly increasing the equilibrium height of the sandbank.

Keywords: interaction parameters; calibration method; coupled CFD–DEM model; wall roughness; unevenly distributed proppant diameter (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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