Simulation of Proppant Placement in Multiple Simultaneously Propagating Hydraulic Fractures in Horizontal Wells

Multi-stage and multi-cluster hydraulic fracturing treatments of horizontal wells play a crucial role in the successful development of unconventional shale reservoirs. Completion design and optimization require a good understanding of proppant placement in multiple simultaneously propagating hydraulic fractures in horizontal wells. In this study, we simulate proppant placement in multiple hydraulic fractures in a rapid fashion by implementing an efficient proppant transport model in a rapid multi-cluster, multi-stage hydraulic fracture model. Our simulations take into account proppant settling and embedment during shut-in, critical but often overlooked aspects in proppant transport simulations. Sensitivity analyzes are performed to investigate the effects of various parameters, including pumping rate, fluid leak-off rate, number of perforations per cluster, and excess stress in the barrier layers, on the final proppant distribution, fracture residual aperture, and fracture conductivity. The simulation results reveal that increasing the pumping rate or decreasing the number of perforations per cluster can help achieve a more uniform proppant distribution among multiple hydraulic fractures. Higher fluid leak-off rates can cause the formation of proppant patches at the top of the fractures, leading to uneven proppant distribution within the fractures. In addition, higher levels of excess stress in the barrier layers may reduce the uniformity of fracture geometry and proppant distribution across multiple fractures. These findings provide valuable insights into the placement of proppant in multiple simultaneously propagating hydraulic fractures and may be helpful for the completion design and optimization of horizontal wells.