Study of Degradable Fibers With and Without Guar Gum As A Proppant Transport Agent Using A Large Scale Slot Equipment

Abstract

Abstract Hydraulic fracturing with slickwater is a common practice in developing unconventional resources in North America. The proppant placement in the fractures largely determines the productivity of the well as it affects the conductivity of fractures. Despite the wide use of the slickwater fracturing and the importance of the proppant placement, the proppant transport is still not fully understood and the efficiency of the proppant placement is mostly bound to the changes to proppant properties, friction reducers, and guar technology. Although the degradable fiber is currently used in some cases, it has not been well investigated. In this experimental study, we conducted proppant transport experiment using different fluid composition of fiber and guar gum in three types of proppant transport slot equipment. The results indicate that the use of degradable fibers with or without the guar gum as viscosifier can produce fracture slurry applicable in both conventional and unconventional fracturing helping proppant placement in the reservoir.