A visual experimental study: Resin-coated ceramic proppants transport within rough vertical models

Abstract

Resin-coated ceramic proppants have a thin layer of resin coating on a ceramic body. In this study, we performed experiments to investigate the transport and settling behavior of resin-coated ceramic proppant in three rough vertical fracture models that are replications of different rocks. We studied the effects of the influential factors on the transport behavior of the proppant, including the location of the injection point; proppant, fracturing fluid, and fracture model types; injection rate; particle size; and fracture aperture. Resin-coated ceramic proppant occupied a large area of the fracture when the slurry was injected through the top injection point compared to when it was injected through the bottom injection point. Moreover, the resin-coated ceramic proppant covered a larger area of the fracture than silica sand owing to its higher density. The relative coverage of proppant carried by slickwater was also lower than that of proppant carried by tap water. The larger particle size and additional collisions between the particles and the rough surface of the fracture enabled 20–40 mesh resin-coated ceramic particles to cover more area, compared to 30–50 mesh resin-coated ceramic particles, in the fracture models. When slurry mixed with proppant was injected into fractures with smaller apertures, more collisions occurred between the proppant particles and the fracture surface, slowing the movement of the resin-coated ceramic particles and producing a higher chance of proppant settling and accumulating. Of the three fracture models, the highest relative coverage of resin-coated ceramic proppant was obtained in a replication of coarse-grained white marble, while the lowest relative coverage of resin-coated ceramic proppant was obtained in a replication of beige limestone with abundant coarse fossil shells.