Open Access

ARTICLE

A Multi-Mechanism Numerical Framework for Shale Gas Transport and Frac-Hit-Induced Inter-Well Interference in Infill Horizontal Well Development

Yi Song^1,2, Cheng Shen^1,2, Wenfeng Yu^1,2,*, Bo Zeng^1,2, Junfeng Li², Yubo Wang³, Yuxuan Deng^4,5, Wendong Wang^4,5

1 Shale Gas Research Institute, PetroChina Southwest Oil & Gasfield Company, Chengdu, China
2 Sichuan Key Laboratory of Shale Gas Evaluation and Exploitation, Chengdu, China
3 Sichuan Shale Gas Exploration and Development Co., Ltd., Luzhou, China
4 State Key Laboratory of Deep Oil and Gas, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
5 School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China

* Corresponding Author: Wenfeng Yu. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Fluid and Thermal Dynamics in the Development of Unconventional Resources IV)

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2026, 22(9), 12 https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2026.087207

Received 11 June 2026; Accepted 08 September 2026; Issue published 28 September 2026

Abstract

This study develops a multi-mechanism numerical simulation framework for shale gas reservoirs to quantify the coupled effects of gas transport mechanisms, stress sensitivity, and inter-well interference during infill horizontal well development. The model is formulated within the Embedded Discrete Fracture Model (EDFM) and incorporates gas adsorption/desorption, diffusion, and matrix stress sensitivity, with the governing equations discretized and solved using the finite volume method. Sensitivity analyses show that stress sensitivity is a dominant control on productivity, as increasing effective stress causes pore and fracture contraction and closure, substantially reducing gas production. A stress sensitivity coefficient of 0.04, for example, reduces cumulative gas production by approximately 30%. The contribution of diffusion decreases sharply with increasing matrix permeability and becomes negligible when matrix permeability exceeds approximately 0.1 mD (1 × 10⁻⁴ μm²). Adsorbed gas contributes primarily during the late stage of production under substantial pressure depletion, accounting for approximately 7% of total cumulative production. Building on these transport insights, the framework is further applied to quantify inter-well interference, with particular emphasis on frac-hit effects arising from hydraulic fracture interactions between parent and infill wells. Direct frac-hit interference caused by hydraulic fracture intersection produces stronger and more rapid productivity degradation than matrix-mediated pressure communication, resulting in a sustained decline in parent-well production. The adverse effect intensifies as the number of hydraulic fractures connecting the parent and child wells increases. Finally, correlations among Estimated Ultimate Recovery (EUR), recovery factor, and well spacing are established to quantify the impact of frac-hit-induced interference on development performance.

---

Keywords

---