We analyse a problem of a hydraulic fracture driven by a non-Newtonian shear-thinning fluid. Fluid viscosity is described by the four-parameter truncated power-law model. By varying the parameters of the rheological model we investigate spatial and temporal evolution of fluid flow inside the crack and the resulting fracture geometry. A detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of the underlying physical phenomena is delivered. The results demonstrate that rheological properties of fluids significantly affect the process of hydraulic fracture not only by the values of viscosity, but also by the range of fluid shear rates over which variation of viscosity occurs.

中文翻译：

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流体流变学对水力压裂的影响

我们分析了由非牛顿剪切稀化流体驱动的水力压裂问题。流体粘度由四参数截断幂律模型描述。通过改变流变模型的参数，我们研究了裂缝内部流体流动的时空演化以及由此产生的裂缝几何形状。提供了对潜在物理现象的详细定量和定性分析。结果表明，流体的流变特性不仅通过粘度值显着影响水力压裂过程，而且通过粘度发生变化的流体剪切速率范围显着影响水力压裂过程。