Numerical Simulation of Proppant Placement in Scaled Fracture Networks

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Song ◽  
A. Dahi Taleghani
Keyword(s):  
Particle Deposition ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Scaling Analysis ◽  
Surface Zone ◽  
Proppant Transport ◽  
Rolling Surface ◽  
Primary Fracture ◽  
Equilibrium Height

Abstract While hydraulic fracturing is recognized as the most effective stimulation technique for unconventional reservoirs, the production enhancement is influenced by several factors including proppant placement inside the fractures. The goal of this work is to understand the proppant transport and its placement process in T-shaped fracture network through simulations. The proppant transport is studied numerically by coupling a computational fluid dynamic model for the base shear-thinning fluid and the discrete element methods for proppant particles. A scaling analysis has been performed to scale down the model from field scale to lab scale by deriving relevant dimensionless parameters. Different proppant size distributions and injection velocities are considered, as well as the friction and cohesion effects among particle and fracture surface. The simulation results show that in the primary fracture, the injected proppant could divide into three layers: the bottom sand bed zone, the middle rolling surface zone, and the top slurry flow zone. The total number of the proppants do not increase much after the dune reach an equilibrium height. The equilibrium height of sand dune in the minor fracture could be greater than the primary fracture, and the distribution of proppant dunes is symmetric. Two deposit mechanisms have also identified in the bypass fracture network: falling deposition and rolling deposition. Additionally, significant momentum changes due to the change in the flow direction at the intersection with natural fractures is identified as a potential factor in accelerating particle deposition.

Physics of Proppant Transport Through Hydraulic Fracture Network

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Chang ◽  
Michael Kinzel ◽  
Robert Dilmore ◽  
John Yilin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Fracture Networks ◽  
Horizontal Drilling ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Proppant Transport ◽  
Shale Reservoirs

Horizontal drilling with successful multistage hydraulic fracture treatments is the most widely applied and effective method to enable economic development of hydrocarbon-bearing shale reservoirs. Once fracture networks are established, they must be propped open to maintain pathways for fluid migration through the production phase. As such, the design and application of effective and efficient proppant treatment is considered a key step to successfully develop the targeted resource. Unfortunately, the available literature and simulation tools to describe proppant transport in complex fracture networks are inadequate, and some of the fundamental mechanisms of proppant transport are poorly understood. The present study provides a critical review of relevant published literature to identify important mechanisms of particle transport and related governing equations. Based on that review, a mathematical model was developed to quantitatively predict the transport behavior of proppant particles in model fracture networks. Aspects of this mathematical model are compared against computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation, and implications of this work are discussed.

Fouling on a Multistage Axial Compressor in the Presence of a Third Substance at the Particle/Surface Interface

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Aldi ◽  
Nicola Casari ◽  
Devid Dainese ◽  
Mirko Morini ◽  
Michele Pinelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Impact Velocity ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Particle Deposition ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Particle Surface ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Micro Particles ◽  
Multistage Compressor ◽  
Particle Ingestion ◽  
The Impact

Solid particle ingestion is one of the principal degradation mechanisms in the compressor and turbine sections of gas turbines. In particular, in industrial applications, the micro-particles not captured by the air filtration system can cause deposits on blades and, consequently, can result in a decrease in compressor performance. It is of great interest to the industry to determine which zones of the compressor blades are impacted by these small particles. However, this information often refers to single stage analysis. This paper presents three-dimensional numerical simulations of the micro-particle ingestion (0.15 μm – 1.50 μm) in a multistage (i.e. eight stage) subsonic axial compressor, carried out by means of a commercial CFD code. Particle trajectory simulations use a stochastic Lagrangian tracking method that solves the equations of motion separately from the continuous phase. The effects of humidity, or more generally, the effects of a third substance at the particle/surface interface (which is considered one of the major promoters of fouling) is then studied. The behavior of wet and oiled particles, in addition to the usual dry particles, is taken into consideration. In the dry case, the particle deposition is established only by using the sticking probability. This quantity links the kinematic characteristics of particle impact on the blade with the fouling phenomenon. In the other two cases, the effect of the presence of a third substance at the particle/surface interface is considered by means of an energy-based model. Moreover, the influence of the tangential impact velocity on particle deposition is analyzed. Introducing the effect of a third substance, such as humidity or oil, the phenomenon of fouling concerns the same areas of the multistage compressor. The most significant results are obtained by combining the effect of the third substance with the effect of the tangential component of the impact velocity of the particles. The deposition trends obtained with these conditions are comparable with those reported in literature, highlighting how the deposits are mainly concentrated in the early stages of a multistage compressor. Particular fluid dynamic phenomena, such as corner separations and clearance vortices, strongly influence the location of particle deposits.

Multiphase flow experiment and simulation for cells-on-a-chip devices

2019 ◽  
Vol 233 (4) ◽  
pp. 432-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meihua Zhang ◽  
Amy Zheng ◽  
Zhongquan C Zheng ◽  
Michael Zhuo Wang
Keyword(s):  
Multiphase Flow ◽  
Soft Lithography ◽  
Particle Deposition ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Quantitative Agreement ◽  
Geometry Model

A microfluidic-based microscale cell-culture device, or a cells-on-a-chip device, provides a well-controlled environment with physiologically realistic factors that emulate the organ-to-organ network of human body. In the microsystem, the in vivo situation can be resembled closely by controlling the chip geometry model, medium flow behavior, medium-to-cell density ratio, and other fluid dynamic parameters. This study is to develop multiphase models to carry out experiments and simulate flow in such devices. A standard soft lithography method is used to build the three-dimensional microfluidic chips. A definitely good qualitative and reasonably good quantitative agreement is obtained between the experimental and simulation results for particle velocity in the microfluidic chip, which validates the numerical simulation method. The cell deposition rate influenced by the flow shear is studied. The influence of gravity, inlet velocity, and cell injection number on cell concentrations are also investigated. Comparisons of different designs of cells-on-a-chip devices are addressed in the study. The physics of flow dynamics and related cell particle motion due to each of the above-mentioned variables are discussed. The results show that the multiphase flow model is promising to be used for simulating cell particle deposition and concentration for the purpose of design of cells-on-a-chip devices.

CFD Assessment and Experimental Investigation of the Liquid Separation Efficiency Enhancements in a Vertical Gravity Separator

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (03) ◽  
pp. 2050021
Author(s):  
Raid Ahmed Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Liquid Separation ◽  
Flash Tank ◽  
Tank Design ◽  
Vertical Gravity ◽  
Design Options

Three design enhancement options for a vertical gravitational flash tank separator were proposed and investigated in this work. Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) was used to assess the optimum configurations of the vertical gravitational flash tank separator. A series of experiments were performed to test the CFD proposed configurations of the enhancement design options. This paper also assessed the usefulness of CFD in flash tank design, and this is achieved through experiments and simulations on a range of relevant configurations using water as the working fluid. The results revealed that the combination of the inlet flow direction and extractor had a significant effect on the performance of the vertical flash tank separator which increased by 2%. The results also revealed that there was a good agreement between the CFD simulations and experiments; the CFD simulations underestimated the liquid separation efficiency by approximately 0.02 over the range of conditions tested.

On Assessing the Quality of Particle Tracking Through Computational Fluid Dynamic Models

2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Tambasco ◽  
David A. Steinman
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Field ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Particle Deposition ◽  
Dynamic Models ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Mass Conservation ◽  
Carotid Bifurcation ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Flow Models ◽  
Path Dependent

Quantification of particle deposition patterns, transit times, and shear exposure is important for computational fluid dynamic (CFD) studies involving respiratory and arterial models. To numerically compute such path-dependent quantities, it is necessary to employ a Lagrangian approach where particles are tracked through a pre-computed velocity field. However, it is difficult to determine in advance whether a particular velocity field is sufficiently resolved for the purposes of tracking particles accurately. Towards this end, we propose the use of volumetric residence time (VRT)—previously defined for 2-D studies of platelet activation and here extended to more physiologically relevant 3-D models—as a means of quantifying whether a volume of Lagrangian fluid elements (LFE’s) seeded uniformly and contiguously at the model inlet remains uniform throughout the flow domain. Such “Lagrangian mass conservation” is shown to be satisfied when VRT=1 throughout the model domain. To demonstrate this novel concept, we computed maps of VRT and particle deposition in 3-D steady flow models of a stenosed carotid bifurcation constructed with one adaptively refined and three nominally uniform finite element meshes of increasing element density. A key finding was that uniform VRT could not be achieved for even the most resolved meshes and densest LFE seeding, suggesting that care should be taken when extracting quantitative information about path-dependent quantities. The VRT maps were found to be useful for identifying regions of a mesh that were under-resolved for such Lagrangian studies, and for guiding the construction of more adequately resolved meshes.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Influence of Different Fracture Network Structures on the Production of Shale Gas Reservoirs

Geofluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Ming Yue ◽  
Xiaohe Huang ◽  
Fanmin He ◽  
Lianzhi Yang ◽  
Weiyao Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Gas Reservoir ◽  
Shale Gas Reservoir ◽  
Gas Seepage

Volume fracturing is a key technology in developing unconventional gas reservoirs that contain nano/micron pores. Different fracture structures exert significantly different effects on shale gas production, and a fracture structure can be learned only in a later part of detection. On the basis of a multiscale gas seepage model considering diffusion, slippage, and desorption effects, a three-dimensional finite element algorithm is developed. Two finite element models for different fracture structures for a shale gas reservoir in the Sichuan Basin are established and studied under the condition of equal fracture volumes. One is a tree-like fracture, and the other is a lattice-like fracture. Their effects on the production of a fracture network structure are studied. Numerical results show that under the same condition of equal volumes, the production of the tree-like fracture is higher than that of the lattice-like fracture in the early development period because the angle between fracture branches and the flow direction plays an important role in the seepage of shale gas. In the middle and later periods, owing to a low flow rate, the production of the two structures is nearly similar. Finally, the lattice-like fracture model is regarded as an example to analyze the factors of shale properties that influence shale gas production. The analysis shows that gas production increases along with the diffusion coefficient and matrix permeability. The increase in permeability leads to a larger increase in production, but the decrease in permeability leads to a smaller decrease in production, indicating that the contribution of shale gas production is mainly fracture. The findings of this study can help better understand the influence of different shapes of fractures on the production in a shale gas reservoir.

Fluid–Structure Interaction Models of Bicuspid Aortic Valves: The Effects of Nonfused Cusp Angles

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Lavon ◽  
Rotem Halevi ◽  
Gil Marom ◽  
Sagit Ben Zekry ◽  
Ashraf Hamdan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Direction ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Fluid Structure Interaction ◽  
Jet Flow ◽  
Elastic Behavior ◽  
Principal Stresses ◽  
Fluid Structure ◽  
Structure Interaction ◽  
Biomechanical Models ◽  
Hyper Elastic

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common type of congenital heart disease, occurring in 0.5–2% of the population, where the valve has only two rather than the three normal cusps. Valvular pathologies, such as aortic regurgitation and aortic stenosis, are associated with BAVs, thereby increasing the need for a better understanding of BAV kinematics and geometrical characteristics. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the nonfused cusp (NFC) angle in BAV type-1 configuration on the valve's structural and hemodynamic performance. Toward that goal, a parametric fluid–structure interaction (FSI) modeling approach of BAVs is presented. Four FSI models were generated with varying NFC angles between 120 deg and 180 deg. The FSI simulations were based on fully coupled structural and fluid dynamic solvers and corresponded to physiologic values, including the anisotropic hyper-elastic behavior of the tissue. The simulated angles led to different mechanical behavior, such as eccentric jet flow direction with a wider opening shape that was found for the smaller NFC angles, while a narrower opening orifice followed by increased jet flow velocity was observed for the larger NFC angles. Smaller NFC angles led to higher concentrated flow shear stress (FSS) on the NFC during peak systole, while higher maximal principal stresses were found in the raphe region during diastole. The proposed biomechanical models could explain the early failure of BAVs with decreased NFC angles, and suggests that a larger NFC angle is preferable in suture annuloplasty BAV repair surgery.

Development of Enertech’s Advanced Normally Open NozzleCheck Valves for Generation III+ Nuclear Power Plants

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haykaz Mkrtchyan
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
High Capacity ◽  
Check Valve ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Valve Design

Enertech introduced the first Normally Open NozzleCheck valves to the nuclear power industry nearly 20 years ago. This passive valve design was developed to address reoccurring maintenance and reliability issues often experienced by various check valve types due to low or turbulent flow conditions. Specifically, premature wear on the hinge pins, bushings and severe seat impact damage had been discovered in several applications while the systems were in steady state operating conditions. Over the last two decades, Enertech has continued to improve upon the design of the valve, with the culmination coming most recently in support of Generation III+ passive reactor requirements. This entirely new valve is designed with minimal stroke, ensuring quick closure under low reverse flow conditions which no other check valve design could support. Additionally, features such as first in kind test ports, visual inspection points, and the ability to manually stroke the valve in line have resolved many of the short comings of previous inline welded flow check valves. Most importantly, advanced test based methodologies and models developed by Enertech, allow for accurate prediction of NozzleCheck valve performance. This paper presents the development of Enertech’s advanced Normally Open NozzleCheck Valve for Generation III and III+ nuclear reactor designs. The Valve performance was initially determined by using verified and validated computational fluid dynamic (CFD) methods. The results obtained from the CFD model were then compared to the data gathered from a prototype valve that was built and tested to confirm the performance predictions. Enertech has fully tested and qualified the Normally Open NozzleCheck valve which is specifically designed for applications that require a high capacity in the forward flow direction and a quick closure during low reverse flow condition with short stroke to minimize the hydraulic impact on the system.

Design and Simulation of a Novel High-Speed Omnidirectional Fully-Actuated Underwater Propulsion Mechanism

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor Njaka ◽  
Stefano Brizzolara ◽  
Pinhas Ben-Tzvi
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Position Control ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Coordinate Frame ◽  
Roll Control ◽  
Turbulent Environments ◽  
Underwater Propulsion

Abstract This paper details the design and simulation of a novel position control mechanism for marine operations or inspection in extreme, hostile, or high-speed turbulent environments where unprecedented speed and agility are necessary. The omnidirectional mechanism consists of a set of counter-rotating blades operating at frequencies high enough to dampen vibrational effects on onboard sensors. Each rotor is individually powered to allow for roll control via relative motor effort and attached to a servo-swashplate mechanism, enabling quick and powerful manipulation of fluid flow direction in a hull’s coordinate frame without the need to track rotor position. The mechanism inherently severs blade loads from servo torques, putting all load on the main motors and minimizing servo response time, while exploiting consistent blade momentum to minimize the corresponding force response time. The mechanical design and kinematic analysis of each subsystem is presented, followed by kinematic and hydrodynamic analysis of the hull and surrounding fluid forces during various blade maneuvers. Special maneuvers are verified using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) software. Finally, a controller is constructed with decoupled parameters for each degree of freedom.

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