US2026049608A1PendingUtilityA1
Method and Device for Determining Pumping Rate to Improve Proppant Placement Efficiency
Assignee: UNIV CHINA PETROLEUM BEIJINGPriority: Aug 13, 2024Filed: Jun 25, 2025Published: Feb 19, 2026
Est. expiryAug 13, 2044(~18.1 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
F04B 2207/00F04B 2205/14F04B 2205/09F04B 49/065F04B 51/00E21B 43/267E21B 43/2607G06F 17/18G06F 17/11
67
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Claims
Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided for determining the pumping rate to improve proppant placement efficiency. The method includes: acquiring proppant mesh size, bulk density, carrier fluid density and viscosity at reservoir temperature; determining the fracture length from the wellbore to the tip and average fracture width; and obtaining a preset proppant concentration. These parameters are input into a calculation model to compute the pumping rate. The method enables accurate pumping rate determination and enhances placement efficiency.
Claims
exact text as granted — not AI-modified1 . A method for determining a pumping rate to improve proppant placement efficiency, comprising: obtaining a predetermined mesh size of the proppant; obtaining the bulk density of the proppant, the density and viscosity of the carrier fluid at reservoir temperature; determining a wellbore-to-fracture-tip length and an average fracture width during pumping for the predetermined mesh size; obtaining a preset proppant concentration corresponding to the predetermined mesh size; calling a pre-established pumping rate calculation model associated with the predetermined mesh size; inputting the bulk density, carrier fluid density and viscosity, wellbore-to-fracture-tip length, average fracture width, and proppant concentration into the calculation model to determine the pumping rate for the proppant.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the mesh size of the proppant comprises at least one of: 30/50, 40/70, 70/140, or 100/200.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the pumping rate calculation model for the mesh size of 30/50 is defined as:
Q
p
30
/
50
=
1.96
L
f
30
/
50
W
f
30
/
50
lg
(
α
30
/
50
m
30
/
50
ρ
s
30
/
50
ρ
l
30
/
50
)
e
-
n
30
/
50
μ
30
/
50
wherein: Q p30/50 represents the pumping rate of the proppant with a mesh size of 30/50; L f30/50 represents the distance from the wellbore to the fracture tip after the 30/50 mesh proppant enters the fracture; W f30/50 represents the average fracture width during pumping for the 30/50 mesh proppant; α 30/50 represents the proppant concentration (sand ratio) during pumping for the 30/50 mesh proppant; m 30/50 represents the sand ratio coefficient for the 30/50 mesh proppant; ρ s30/50 represents the bulk density of the 30/50 mesh proppant; ρ l30/50 represents the density of the carrier fluid for the 30/50 mesh proppant; n 30/50 represents the viscosity coefficient for the 30/50 mesh proppant; μ 30/50 represents the viscosity of the carrier fluid for the 30/50 mesh proppant at reservoir temperature;
When the predetermined mesh size of the proppant is 40/70, the corresponding pumping rate calculation model for the proppant is expressed as follows:
Q
p
40
/
70
=
1.23
L
f
40
/
70
W
f
40
/
70
lg
(
α
40
/
70
m
40
/
70
ρ
s
40
/
70
ρ
l
40
/
70
)
e
-
n
40
/
70
μ
40
/
70
wherein: Q p40/70 represents the pumping rate of the proppant with a mesh size of 40/70; L f40/70 represents the distance from the wellbore to the fracture tip after the 40/70 mesh proppant enters the fracture; W f40/70 represents the average fracture width during pumping for the 40/70 mesh proppant; α 40/70 represents the proppant concentration (sand ratio) during pumping for the 40/70 mesh proppant; m 40/70 represents the sand ratio coefficient for the 40/70 mesh proppant; ρ s40/70 represents the bulk density of the 40/70 mesh proppant; ρ l40/70 represents the density of the carrier fluid for the 40/70 mesh proppant; n 40/70 represents the viscosity coefficient for the 40/70 mesh proppant; μ 40/70 represents the viscosity of the carrier fluid for the 40/70 mesh proppant at reservoir temperature.
4 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the pumping rate calculation model for the predetermined mesh size of the proppant comprises:
When the predetermined mesh size of the proppant is 70/140, the corresponding pumping rate calculation model for the proppant is expressed as follows:
Q
p
70
/
140
=
0.47
L
f
70
/
140
W
f
70
/
140
lg
(
α
70
/
140
m
70
/
140
ρ
s
70
/
140
ρ
l
70
/
140
)
e
-
n
70
/
140
μ
70
/
140
wherein: Q p70/140 represents the pumping rate of the proppant with a mesh size of 70/140; L f70/140 represents the distance from the wellbore to the fracture tip after the 70/140 mesh proppant enters the fracture; W f70/140 represents the average fracture width during pumping for the 70/140 mesh proppant; α 70/140 represents the proppant concentration (sand ratio) during pumping for the 70/140 mesh proppant; m 70/140 represents the sand ratio coefficient for the 70/140 mesh proppant; ρ s70/140 represents the bulk density of the 70/140 mesh proppant; ρ l70/140 represents the density of the carrier fluid for the 70/140 mesh proppant; n 70/140 represents the viscosity coefficient for the 70/140 mesh proppant; μ 70/140 represents the viscosity of the carrier fluid for the 70/140 mesh proppant at reservoir temperature;
When the predetermined mesh size of the proppant is 100/200, the corresponding pumping rate calculation model for the proppant is expressed as follows:
Q
p
100
/
200
=
1.41
L
f
100
/
200
W
f
100
/
200
lg
(
α
100
/
200
m
100
/
200
ρ
s
100
/
200
ρ
l
100
/
200
)
e
-
n
100
/
200
μ
100
/
2000
wherein: Q p100/200 represents the pumping rate of the proppant with a mesh size of 100/200; L f100/200 represents the distance from the wellbore to the fracture tip after the 100/200 mesh proppant enters the fracture; W f100/200 represents the average fracture width during pumping for the 100/200 mesh proppant; α 100/200 represents the proppant concentration (sand ratio) during pumping for the 100/200 mesh proppant; m 100/200 represents the sand ratio coefficient for the 100/200 mesh proppant; ρ s100/200 represents the bulk density of the 100/200 mesh proppant; ρ l100/200 represents the density of the carrier fluid for the 100/200 mesh proppant; n 100/200 represents the viscosity coefficient for the 100/200 mesh proppant; μ 100/200 represents the viscosity of the carrier fluid for the 100/200 mesh proppant at reservoir temperature.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein after calculating the pumping rate for the proppant with the predetermined mesh size, the method further comprises: obtaining a preset upper limit of the fracturing displacement; determining whether the calculated pumping rate for the proppant with the predetermined mesh size exceeds the preset upper limit of the fracturing displacement; and in response to the calculated pumping rate exceeding the preset upper limit, changing the mesh size of the proppant and recalculating the pumping rate for the adjusted mesh size, until the resulting pumping rate is below the preset upper limit of the fracturing displacement.
6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the distance from the wellbore to the fracture tip after the proppant with the predetermined mesh size enters the fracture, and the average fracture width during pumping, comprises:
Calculating the average fracture width during pumping according to the following formula:
W
=
2
(
P
-
σ
)
·
l
E
wherein: W represents the average fracture width during pumping; P represents the fluid pressure inside the fracture; σ represents the normal stress on the fracture surface; l represents the fracture face deformation length; E represents the Young's modulus;
The distance from the wellbore to the fracture tip is calculated according to the following formula:
L
=
V
·
γ
H
·
W
wherein: L represents the distance from the wellbore to the fracture tip; V represents the volume of fracturing fluid; γ represents the efficiency of the fracturing fluid; H represents the fracture height.
7 . A device for determining the pumping rate to improve proppant placement efficiency, comprising: a first acquisition module, configured to acquire the mesh size of the proppant as a predetermined mesh size; a second acquisition module, configured to obtain the bulk density of the proppant with the predetermined mesh size, the density of the carrier fluid, and the viscosity of the carrier fluid at reservoir temperature; a determination module, configured to determine the distance from the wellbore to the fracture tip after the proppant with the predetermined mesh size enters the fracture, and the average fracture width during pumping; a third acquisition module, configured to obtain a preset proppant concentration (sand ratio) for the predetermined mesh size; a retrieval module, configured to retrieve a pre-established pumping rate calculation model corresponding to the predetermined mesh size of the proppant; a computation module, configured to input the bulk density of the proppant, carrier fluid density, carrier fluid viscosity at reservoir temperature, the distance from the wellbore to the fracture tip, the average fracture width during pumping, and the proppant concentration into the calculation model, and compute the pumping rate for the proppant with the predetermined mesh size.
8 . The device according to claim 7 , wherein after calculating the pumping rate for the proppant with the predetermined mesh size, the device further comprises: a fourth acquisition module, configured to obtain a preset upper limit of the fracturing displacement; a second determination module, configured to determine whether the calculated pumping rate for the proppant with the predetermined mesh size exceeds the preset upper limit of the fracturing displacement; a modification module, configured to, in response to the calculated pumping rate exceeding the preset upper limit of the fracturing displacement, change the mesh size of the proppant and recalculate the pumping rate for the adjusted mesh size, until the calculated pumping rate is lower than the preset upper limit.
9 . An electronic device, comprising a processor and a memory configured to store processor-executable instructions, wherein the processor, when executing the instructions, is configured to perform the steps of any one of claims 1 to 6 .
10 . A computer-readable storage medium having stored there on a computer program or instructions, wherein the computer program or instructions, when executed by a processor, are configured to perform the steps of any one of claims 1 to 6 .Join the waitlist — get patent alerts
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