A MODEL OF JOINT ROCK-PROPPANT DEFORMATION IN HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
D. S. Zhurkina, S. V. Lavrikov, A. F. Revuzhenko
Chinakal Institute of Mining, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
Keywords: Hydraulic fracturing, proppant, porosity, rock pressure, stability, numerical modeling, discrete element method, finite element method
Abstract
The study focuses on the connection between two processes: deformation of proppant under the action of rock pressure and the rock pressure change after injection pressure release. The modeling of proppant deformation (mechanics of granular medium) uses the discrete element method, and the rock pressure redistribution (rock mechanics) is modeled using the earlier developed model of rock as a medium with internal energy sources and sinks, and the finite element method. The numerical modeling shows that depending on the loading history and on the rock mass properties, the mode of deformation can be both stable and unstable. For the stable mode of deformation, the pressure balance is calculated at the created fracture boundary, and the change in the proppant porosity is estimated. In the unstable mode, rock mass experiences dynamic events induced by rock pressure.
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