Statistical analysis of experimental studies of non-Darcy flow in proppant packs

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine the most significant variables associated with non-Darcy flow behavior. Statistical analysis of non-Darcy flow reveals that the most significant predictors of mass flow rate are the particular material used, fluid velocity, fluid viscosity, and apparent permeability. Data were collected from various experimental studies conducted at high-flow rates through different proppant packs and using different experimental procedures. The study was conducted in order to validate the Barree and Conway (2004), which yields accurate flow predictions across all flow regimes in porous media. This study examines output data such as pressures, temperature, and mass flow rate given a proppant pack design and specific flowing fluid. Historically, Darcy’s equation (Darcy, 1856) has been used to predict hydrocarbon production; however, it is inaccurate in most reservoirs. Using results based on non-Darcy flow experimentation provides a different perspective to the hydraulic fracturing process.The results of the statistical analysis were compared to previous work done in unconventional reservoir studies. These results show that statistical analysis can recommend the variables to prioritize during the hydraulic fracturing design process. Although this work was conducted under experimentally controlled conditions, it is hypothesized that the results will hold for field conditions.