LAUSR

Productivity in fractured wells typically declines when severe proppant embedment shrinks the fracture aperture and creates conductivity clogging fines. However, the mechanisms linking embedment to decline are poorly characterized. In the absence of this understanding, very few models take proppant embedment into account when predicting production decline. We developed new experimental techniques to characterize proppant embedment mechanisms and properties and combined these results with analytical analysis to quantify stress-dependent elastic and plastic deformation, as well as time-dependent creep deformation. We developed two novel experimental setups to tease apart the elastic, plastic, and creep deformation curves. A constant displacement vs. measured load embedment test generated the elastic and plastic data, and the constant load vs. measured displacement embedment test generated creep data. Results show that plastic and creep deformation dominated proppant embedment in shale, while the elastic deformation component is insignificant.