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Volume 14
Issue 4
10.3390/pr14040612
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Article

Proppant Transport and Deposition Mechanisms in Rough-Wall Fractures of the Mahu Conglomerate Reservoir: Insights from a 20 m Multiscale Physical Simulation

by
Bobo Xie
1,
Jingchen Zhang
2,3,*,
Mingxing Wang
1,
Shixin Qiu
2,*,
Jingchun Zhang
1,
Linjie Wang
2,
Yuxin Chen
1,
Xinhong Li
1 and
Shanzhi Shi
1
1
PetroChina Xinjiang Oilfield Company, Karamay 834000, China
2
National Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Resources and Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
3
Karamay High Tech Zone Laboratory of Petroleum Engineering Field (Pilot) Test, Petroleum Engineering Field Experiment Base, Karamay 834000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Processes 2026, 14(4), 612; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14040612
Submission received: 31 December 2025 / Revised: 24 January 2026 / Accepted: 5 February 2026 / Published: 10 February 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Petroleum and Low-Carbon Energy Process Engineering)
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Abstract

Efficient proppant transport in conglomerate reservoirs is severely constrained by rough fracture surfaces and strong geometric heterogeneity, leading to premature near-wellbore deposition and insufficient distal support. To address this challenge, this study aims to clarify the transport and deposition mechanisms of proppants in rough-wall fractures representative of the Mahu conglomerate reservoir. A large-scale visualized physical simulation system with an artificial rough fracture (20 m length × 4.5 m height) was developed based on dynamic similarity principles, enabling long-distance proppant transport observation under controlled pumping rate, fluid viscosity, proppant size, and sand concentration. Ten systematic experiments were conducted, and real-time particle motion and sand ridge evolution were captured using high-speed imaging and pressure monitoring. The results show that proppants form longitudinally layered sand ridges that evolve through three stages: leading-edge initiation, equilibrium-height growth, and distal extension. Viscosity and sand concentration primarily control propped-area continuity, while pumping rate governs transport distance and particle size affects structural stability. Rough fracture surfaces significantly intensify near-wellbore accumulation by enhancing energy dissipation and local flow heterogeneity. These findings provide mechanistic insights into proppant transport in rough fractures and offer quantitative guidance for optimizing fracturing parameters in conglomerate reservoirs.
Keywords: mahu conglomerate reservoir; rough fracture surfaces; proppant transport; proppant deposition mechanism; large-scale physical simulation; fluid–particle coupling; hydraulic fracturing mahu conglomerate reservoir; rough fracture surfaces; proppant transport; proppant deposition mechanism; large-scale physical simulation; fluid–particle coupling; hydraulic fracturing

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MDPI and ACS Style

Xie, B.; Zhang, J.; Wang, M.; Qiu, S.; Zhang, J.; Wang, L.; Chen, Y.; Li, X.; Shi, S. Proppant Transport and Deposition Mechanisms in Rough-Wall Fractures of the Mahu Conglomerate Reservoir: Insights from a 20 m Multiscale Physical Simulation. Processes 2026, 14, 612. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14040612

AMA Style

Xie B, Zhang J, Wang M, Qiu S, Zhang J, Wang L, Chen Y, Li X, Shi S. Proppant Transport and Deposition Mechanisms in Rough-Wall Fractures of the Mahu Conglomerate Reservoir: Insights from a 20 m Multiscale Physical Simulation. Processes. 2026; 14(4):612. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14040612

Chicago/Turabian Style

Xie, Bobo, Jingchen Zhang, Mingxing Wang, Shixin Qiu, Jingchun Zhang, Linjie Wang, Yuxin Chen, Xinhong Li, and Shanzhi Shi. 2026. "Proppant Transport and Deposition Mechanisms in Rough-Wall Fractures of the Mahu Conglomerate Reservoir: Insights from a 20 m Multiscale Physical Simulation" Processes 14, no. 4: 612. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14040612

APA Style

Xie, B., Zhang, J., Wang, M., Qiu, S., Zhang, J., Wang, L., Chen, Y., Li, X., & Shi, S. (2026). Proppant Transport and Deposition Mechanisms in Rough-Wall Fractures of the Mahu Conglomerate Reservoir: Insights from a 20 m Multiscale Physical Simulation. Processes, 14(4), 612. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14040612

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