IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v274y2023ics0360544223008447.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Numerical simulation on particle-fluid flow in fractured formations: Evolution law of plugging layers

Author

Listed:
  • Pu, Lei
  • Xu, Peng
  • Xu, Mingbiao
  • Zhou, Jun
  • Li, Chengwei
  • Liu, Qinglin

Abstract

The bridging plugging method is an economical and practical fracture loss control technology. However, it is challenging to clarify the microscopic flow behavior and plugging process of lost circulation materials in fractures under formation conditions. This study uses the computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method to establish a wellbore-fracture model to study the flow behaviors of a plugging slurry in fractures. The model especially considers the interaction between the wellbore wall and the plugging slurry. The results show that the evolution process of the plugging layer can be divided into four stages based on the tracking of the information on the interaction of particles, fluid, and wall. The initial structure of the plugging layer is mainly a two-sphere bridge. The formation location and subsequent construction speed of the plugging layer depend on the particle size and concentration, respectively. The optimization of particle combination can effectively enhance the structural stress of the plugging layer. The liquid viscosity has a limited influence on the sealing, and the excessively high liquid pressure will destroy the stability of the initial bridging. Quantitative research on the evolution of the plugging layer can provide a reference for optimizing the formulation design of the plugging slurry system.

Suggested Citation

  • Pu, Lei & Xu, Peng & Xu, Mingbiao & Zhou, Jun & Li, Chengwei & Liu, Qinglin, 2023. "Numerical simulation on particle-fluid flow in fractured formations: Evolution law of plugging layers," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:274:y:2023:i:c:s0360544223008447
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2023.127450
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544223008447
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2023.127450?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yi Feng & Gao Li & Yingfeng Meng & Boyun Guo, 2018. "A Novel Approach to Investigating Transport of Lost Circulation Materials in Rough Fracture," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-19, September.
    2. Lu Lee & Arash Dahi Taleghani, 2020. "Simulating Fracture Sealing by Granular LCM Particles in Geothermal Drilling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-14, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mehrdad Massoudi, 2021. "Mathematical Modeling of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Petroleum Industries and Geothermal Applications 2020," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-4, August.
    2. Karl Ronny Klungtvedt & Arild Saasen & Jan Kristian Vasshus & Vegard Bror Trodal & Swapan Kumar Mandal & Bjørn Berglind & Mahmoud Khalifeh, 2021. "The Fundamental Principles and Standard Evaluation for Fluid Loss and Possible Extensions of Test Methodology to Assess Consequences for Formation Damage," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-19, April.
    3. Qiang Xie & Gao Li & Xu Yang & Hongli Peng, 2023. "Evaluating the Degree of Tectonic Fracture Development in the Fourth Member of the Leikoupo Formation in Pengzhou, Western Sichuan, China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-16, February.
    4. Qiang Fang & Yingfeng Meng & Na Wei & Chaoyang Xu & Gao Li, 2019. "A Hydraulic Model for Multiphase Flow Based on the Drift Flux Model in Managed Pressure Drilling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-21, October.
    5. Jian Yang & Yingxue Hu & Qiuwang Wang, 2019. "Investigation of Effective Thermal Conductivity for Ordered and Randomly Packed Bed with Thermal Resistance Network Method," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-14, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:274:y:2023:i:c:s0360544223008447. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.