Evaluation of the Crushing Resistance and Hydraulic Conductivity of Proppants under High Closure Stress
Publication: Geo-Congress 2024
ABSTRACT
Hydraulic fracturing is mainly used in tight gas reservoirs with low permeability such as shale, limestone, and some coal beds. It is a process in which a mixture of water, chemicals, and proppants is injected under high pressure through a well to create new fractures and/or expand the existing fractures for enhanced connectivity and oil recovery. The closure stress of rocks leads to crushing the proppants decreasing their permeability and shear strength. This paper presents some of the findings from a series of experimental investigations to evaluate the crushing resistance of different types of proppants under high closure stresses. The stress–strain response, the breakage behavior, and the change in particle size distribution were measured. Moreover, the effect of crushing on the single-grain proppant particle was studied, including proppants’ characteristic strength, the failure load, and Young’s modulus. Additionally, the change of the permeability and shear strength due to the crushing of the proppants were measured. The results confirmed that choosing an appropriate proppant type based on the nature of the reservoir formation is critical in quantifying the degree of proppant crushing.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Geo-Congress 2024
Pages: 157 - 166
History
Published online: Feb 22, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Chemical processes
- Chemistry
- Continuum mechanics
- Design (by type)
- Earth materials
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Environmental engineering
- Fracture mechanics
- Geomaterials
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Hydraulic conductivity
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydraulic fracturing
- Hydraulic structures
- Load and resistance factor design
- Load factors
- Material mechanics
- Material properties
- Materials characterization
- Materials engineering
- Particle size distribution
- Permeability (material)
- Reservoirs
- Shear strength
- Soil mechanics
- Soil properties
- Solid mechanics
- Strength of materials
- Structural design
- Water and water resources
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