Hydraulic Fracturing Slurry Transport in Horizontal Pipes

Abstract

Summary Horizontal-well activity has increased throughout the industry in the past few years. To design a successful hydraulic fracturing treatment for horizontal wells, accurate information on the transport properties of slurry in horizontal pipe is required. Limited information exists that can be used to estimate critical deposition and resuspension velocities when proppants are transported in horizontal wells with non-Newtonian fracturing gels. This paper presents a study of transport properties of various hydraulic fracturing slurries in horizontal pipes. Flow data are gathered in three transparent horizontal pipes with different diameters. Linear and crosslinked fracturing gels were studied, and the effects of variables—e.g., pipe size; polymer-gelling-agent concentration; fluid rheological properties; crosslinking effects; proppant size, density, and concentrations; fluid density; and slurry pump rate—on critical deposition and resuspension velocities were investigated. Also, equations to estimate the critical deposition and resuspension velocities of fracturing gels are provided.