{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.024493243243243243, 'fraction_numerical': 0.009290540540540541, 'mean_word_length': 5.54696132596685, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Conductivity performance evaluation of fractures filled with proppant of different sizes in shale with LBM-DEM

This paper proposes a coupled discrete element method (DEM) and lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to compute the conductivity of fractures filled with proppant in shale as a function of the closure pressure. The particle discrete element was applied to model proppant-shale interaction process under variable closure stress, and the pore-scale simulation was carried out by LBM to model gas flow in the reconstructed digitised model (the deformed proppant-filled fractures). The laboratory bench-scale experiments were conducted in support of the numerical modeling examining the proppant embedment into the shale as a function of closure stress and measuring the conductivity of proppant-filled fractures as the proppant embedment experiments were conducted under different axial load conditions. The numerical results calculated by LBM-DEM were validated by a calibration test and the laboratory bench-scale experiments, and an agreement was achieved between them, indicating the effectiveness of this proposed method. [Received: June 28, 2017; Accepted: February 1, 2018].