Abstract The qualitative and quantitative effects of proppant on the near-front region of a hydraulic fracture are investigated by solving the problem of a semi-infinite fracture driven by a slurry of Newtonian fluid with proppant. The results demonstrate that proppant bridging and slurry dehydration cause proppant accumulation near the crack front and, in turn, a pressure difference over the proppant pack that leads to significant fracture widening. Specific attention is paid to the sensitivity of the solution to proppant volume, particle radius, the permeability of the proppant pack, and bridging criterion.

中文翻译：

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支撑剂对水力压裂近前沿行为的影响

摘要 通过解决由含支撑剂的牛顿流体驱动的半无限裂缝问题，研究了支撑剂对水力裂缝近前区的定性和定量影响。结果表明，支撑剂桥接和泥浆脱水导致支撑剂在裂缝前缘附近积聚，进而导致支撑剂充填层上的压力差导致裂缝显着加宽。特别注意溶液对支撑剂体积、颗粒半径、支撑剂充填层渗透率和桥接标准的敏感性。