Prop-Packed Fractures - A Reality On Which Productivity Increase Can Be Predicted

Abstract

models where no leak-off occurred as well "as in a vertical model with leak-off through one Production increases resulting from face. Other authors 192s3,4 have demonstrated fracture treatments should be based on the the same phenomena. To the best of our knowconductivity and location of the propping ledge no one has published model studies which agent -not on the area created by the frac demonstrate that mono-layer or partial monofluid. Model studies show that in conven-layers are obtained in conventional frac tio"nalfracture treatments propping agents treatments, i.e., where low viscosity gelled settle to the bottom of a fracture forming oil or water is used as the fracturing fluid. a packed pile of prop. The location and dimensions of the pack are dependent on the With few exceptions field treatments physical properties of the prop, fluid and designed on the basis of mono-layer or partial formation, the geometry, volume and length monolayer concepts have not responded any of the fracture, and the pump rate.better than conventionally designed treatments. Lab studies, on the other hand, show f~acture This paper presents a mathematical conductivities of partial monolayer are much procedure for predicting the location and greater than conductivities of a pack. We dimensions of the prop pack -ina vertical believe this inconsistency is evidence a pack linear fracture. A computer program has occurred. been prepared and is currently being used in designing fracture treatments.Our model studies supplied a considerable amount of equilibrium velocity data. INTRODUCTIONEarlier work had described the areal extent of a prop pack where no leak-off occurred. Studies we have made in models of Our goal was to describe both the areal exvertical and horizontal fractures show that tent and location of the prop pack under in convectional frac treatments props end up conditions where leak-off occurred, in a multilayer packs. We observed this in

The Effective Transmissivity of a Plane‐Walled Fracture With Circular Cylindrical Obstacles

“…Unfortunately, the final distributions of proppant grains are virtually impossible to image nowadays, and direct numerical simulations of suspension flows in narrow apertures have just begun to emerge (Shiozawa & McClure, 2016;Tomac & Gutierrez, 2015). The monolayer configuration has been traditionally considered as either difficult or impossible to achieve and treated more of a curiosity rather than technologically relevant scenario (Harrington & Hannah, 1975;Wendorff & Alderman, 1969), however, this view has been challenged in recent works (Brannon et al, 2004;Palisch et al, 2010). It may in fact be that a general shift toward slickwater fracturing, and technological advances such as ultralight proppants (Gaurav et al, 2010) promote the developed of the monolayer configuration.…”