Open Access

ARTICLE

Numerical Investigation of Proppant Transport Heterogeneity in Multi-Cluster Horizontal Well Fracturing: A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study

Yixuan Wang¹, Yanchao Li¹, Qiang Feng¹, Haicheng Sun², Guchang Zhang³, Zhiming Zhao¹, Jianfeng Xiao¹, Jingyun Huang¹, Tiankui Guo^3,*
1 Shale Gas E&D Project Department, CNPC Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Co., Ltd., Chengdu, China
2 Petroleum Engineering Technology Research Institute, Shengli Oilfield Company, SINOPEC, Dongying, China
3 School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
* Corresponding Author: Tiankui Guo. Email:

Energy Engineering https://doi.org/10.32604/ee.2026.076849

Received 27 November 2025; Accepted 15 January 2026; Published online 04 February 2026

Abstract

Achieving uniform proppant distribution among multiple perforation clusters is essential for the effectiveness of horizontal well fracturing, yet remains challenging due to complex solid-liquid transport mechanisms. This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation using Computational Fluid Dynamics to analyze proppant transport heterogeneity in a full-scale 90-m horizontal wellbore with five perforation clusters. An Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase model is employed to simulate proppant transport and settling in the wellbore and perforations. The effects of key operational and geometric parameters—including injection rate, proppant concentration and size, fluid viscosity and phase angle—are systematically evaluated. Results demonstrate that flow rate and fluid viscosity dominate proppant inertial and settling behavior: higher rates enhance axial transport but exacerbate uneven distribution toward the toe, while increased viscosity significantly improves suspension and entry efficiency into distal clusters. Proppant size directly influences settling dynamics, with finer particles exhibiting superior uniformity. Furthermore, the phase angle of perforations considerably affects transport uniformity, with a 45° spiral configuration effectively mitigating bottom-side entry bias and improving circumferential proppant distribution. The findings provide critical insights into the interplay of inertial, viscous and gravitational forces governing proppant placement, offering a validated numerical basis for optimizing perforation design and pumping parameters to achieve more uniform stimulation in unconventional reservoirs.

---

Keywords

Proppant transport; horizontal well fracturing; multi-cluster perforation; CFD simulation; uniform distribution; parameter optimization

---