STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF THE PROPPANT EMBEDMENT PHENOMENON ON THE EFFECTIVE PACKED FRACTURE IN SHALE ROCK

This paper presents the subject related to the technology of creating fractures into a rock, as well as the subject related to the effect of the proppant embedment phenomenon on the effective packed fracture in a reservoir rock. This phenomenon occurs after the performed hydraulic fracturing treatment of hydrocarbon reservoirs, during closing of the rock mass. A key part of this experiment was to investigate the depth of proppant grains penetration into the fracture wall (shale rock) and size of damage to the fracture wall surface. The embedment phenomena effects on decrease in the width fracture packed with proppant. The tests were performed for shale rock initially soaked with fracturing fluid, lightweight ceramic proppant grains with a grain size of 0.600 divided by 0.300 mm (medium diameter of proppant grains of 0.450 mm), low surface concentration of proppant of 2.44 kg/m(2). Time of exposure of proppant grains to compressive stress of a value 48.3 MPa for 6 hours at 70 degrees C. Test results indicate that the developed testing methodology may be used for corrected evaluation of the fracturing fluid as well as proppant in hydraulic fracturing treatment of unconventional reservoirs, especially shale rocks.