@Article{ee.2026.076849,
AUTHOR = {Yixuan Wang, Yanchao Li, Qiang Feng, Haicheng Sun, Guchang Zhang, Zhiming Zhao, Jianfeng Xiao, Jingyun Huang, Tiankui Guo},
TITLE = {Numerical Investigation of Proppant Transport Heterogeneity in Multi-Cluster Horizontal Well Fracturing: A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study},
JOURNAL = {Energy Engineering},
VOLUME = {},
YEAR = {},
NUMBER = {},
PAGES = {{pages}},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/energy/online/detail/25829},
ISSN = {1546-0118},
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.},
DOI = {10.32604/ee.2026.076849}
}