Research of seepage in artificial fracture using pore network model

Experiments of proppant conductivity and fluid flow in proppant cost a large amount of time and money, and also require complex devices. Hence, this article puts forward an artificial fracture numerical model based on proppant arrangement analysis and the basic principles of the pore network model. Predictions by the model are made consistent with the experimental results through adjusting the model parameters. It is shown that the established model is effective in making predictions on the permeability of proppant. This model is also used to study the non-Newtonian fluid flow characteristics in artificial fracture.