Integrating Reservoir Geomechanics with Multiple Fracture Propagation and Proppant Placement

TLDR: In this paper, a coupled finite-volume (FV)/finite-area (FA) model was proposed to simulate the propagation of multiple hydraulically driven fractures in two and three dimensions at the wellbore and pad scale.

Abstract: \n This paper presents the formulation and results from a coupled finite-volume (FV)/finite-area (FA) model for simulating the propagation of multiple hydraulically driven fractures in two and three dimensions at the wellbore and pad scale. The proposed method captures realistic representations of local heterogeneities, layering, fracture turning, poroelasticity, interactions with other fractures, and proppant transport. We account for competitive fluid and proppant distribution between multiple fractures from the wellbore. Details of the model formulation and its efficient numerical implementation are provided, along with numerical studies comparing the model with both analytical solutions and field results. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for the comprehensive modeling of hydraulically driven fractures in three dimensions at a pad scale.