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<p>In hydraulic fracturing, proppants play a critical role in maintaining fracture conductivity. However, existing fluid–solid coupling methods often neglect the impact of proppant mechanical behavior on fluid flow and rock deformation. This study proposes a fluid–solid coupling method for complex fractured reservoirs, referred to as XFEM-EDFM with proppant mechanics (XFEM-EDFM-PM), which incorporates proppant transport in complex fracture networks and captures the mechanical effects arising from its non-uniform distribution. Compared to traditional XFEM-EDFM methods, this approach not only captures the flow-stress coupling behavior but also accounts for the influence of non-uniform proppant mechanics on fracture evolution. The method employs the XFEM for mechanical equilibrium calculations and utilizes the 3D EDFM to simulate fluid flow. A simplified Eulerian-Eulerian method enhances computational efficiency by representing two-dimensional proppant transport using one-dimensional computation. The reliability of the model is confirmed by comparing it with analytical solutions. Additionally, several complex fracture cases are analyzed to explore the critical role of proppants in the flow-solid coupling process. The results indicate that stress perturbations cause non-uniform proppant distribution within fractures, with significant variations between fractures. Proppants effectively delay fracture closure and maintain fracture conductivity. In complex fracture networks, proppants primarily accumulate in the main fractures, while secondary fractures contain fewer proppants. During the late production stage, most secondary fractures close, with only about 1/3 of the fractures remaining effectively propped and playing a key role in fluid flow. Therefore, for real hydraulic fractured reservoirs, the influence of non-uniform proppants within fractures on rock deformation and fluid flow should be considered.</p>

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Proppant Transport and Nonuniform Proppant Mechanics in Complex Fractured Reservoirs and Their Effects on Fluid Flow and Geomechanics

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月5日

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  • Luoyi Huang,
  • Guanglong Sheng,
  • Hui Zhao,
  • Zupeng Liu,
  • Yuhui Zhou

摘要

In hydraulic fracturing, proppants play a critical role in maintaining fracture conductivity. However, existing fluid–solid coupling methods often neglect the impact of proppant mechanical behavior on fluid flow and rock deformation. This study proposes a fluid–solid coupling method for complex fractured reservoirs, referred to as XFEM-EDFM with proppant mechanics (XFEM-EDFM-PM), which incorporates proppant transport in complex fracture networks and captures the mechanical effects arising from its non-uniform distribution. Compared to traditional XFEM-EDFM methods, this approach not only captures the flow-stress coupling behavior but also accounts for the influence of non-uniform proppant mechanics on fracture evolution. The method employs the XFEM for mechanical equilibrium calculations and utilizes the 3D EDFM to simulate fluid flow. A simplified Eulerian-Eulerian method enhances computational efficiency by representing two-dimensional proppant transport using one-dimensional computation. The reliability of the model is confirmed by comparing it with analytical solutions. Additionally, several complex fracture cases are analyzed to explore the critical role of proppants in the flow-solid coupling process. The results indicate that stress perturbations cause non-uniform proppant distribution within fractures, with significant variations between fractures. Proppants effectively delay fracture closure and maintain fracture conductivity. In complex fracture networks, proppants primarily accumulate in the main fractures, while secondary fractures contain fewer proppants. During the late production stage, most secondary fractures close, with only about 1/3 of the fractures remaining effectively propped and playing a key role in fluid flow. Therefore, for real hydraulic fractured reservoirs, the influence of non-uniform proppants within fractures on rock deformation and fluid flow should be considered.