Influence factors of unpropped fracture conductivity of shale

Abstract

Hydraulic fracture is widely performed to enhance oil and gas production in the development of unconventional reservoirs. This paper proposes a numerical model for the calculation of the unpropped fracture conductivity of shale. This numerical model consists of three basic models, namely, the numerical reconstruction model of fracture morphology, fracture deformation model under closed stress, and fluid flow model. The numerical model can be used to analyze the influencing factors of the unpropped fracture conductivity of shale quantitatively. The results demonstratethat the fracture misalignment of shale is a prerequisite for unpropped fractures with conductivity at high closed stress. Furthermore, the unpropped fracture conductivity of shale decreases exponentially with the increase in closed stress. Moreover, closed stress is the factor having the most significant influence on the unpropped fracture conductivity of shale, followed by roughness and fracture morphology. The negative effect of closed stress can be reduced by increasing the fracture morphology during the fracturing operation. K E Y W O R D Sclosed stress, conductivity, fracture morphology, shale, unpropped fracture | 2025 LU et aL.