Hydraulic Fracturing Process, Simulation and Modeling in Petroleum Engineering

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 344

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: experimental investigation; mechanism of hydraulic fracture propagation; the intersection mechanism between hydraulic fracture and natural discontinuities

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Guest Editor
School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: geothermics; rock mechanics; heat and mass transfer; hot dry rock
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the depletion of traditional energy sources, low-carbon energy sources (such as shale gas, hot dry rock, coal bed methane, and natural gas hydrate) have gradually drawn global attention. Hydraulic fracturing has been commonly used in reservoir stimulation for oil and gas, as well as for low-carbon energy sources. The key factor that affects the result of hydraulic fracturing is the complexity of the hydraulic fracture, which is significantly affected by geological and engineering parameters.

This Special Issue on “Hydraulic Fracturing Process, Simulation and Modeling in Petroleum Engineering” aims to cover recent advances in the development and application of hydraulic fracturing. Topics include, but are not limited to, methods and/or applications in the following areas:

  • Models in hydraulic fracturing;
  • Experimental investigation;
  • Numerical simulation;
  • Mechanism of hydraulic fracture propagation;
  • The intersection mechanism between hydraulic fracture and natural discontinuities;
  • The exploitation of low-carbon energy (shale gas; hot dry rock; coal bed methane; natural gas hydrate);
  • Field operation of hydraulic fracturing in petroleum engineering.

Dr. Jingyu Xie
Dr. Zhennan Zhu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • experimental and numerical simulation
  • initiation and propagation of hydraulic fracture
  • low-carbon energy
  • field operation
  • mechanical model

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 5838 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on Effective Propping of Multi-Level Fractures Using Micro-Proppants
by Xiao Sun, Jingfu Mu, Xing Guo, Bo Cao, Tang Tang and Tao Zhang
Processes 2025, 13(8), 2503; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13082503 - 8 Aug 2025
Viewed by 246
Abstract
In deep shale gas fracturing, the narrow width of micro fractures presents a challenge for conventional proppants (40/70 mesh, 70/140 mesh), which often fail to enter branch fractures, resulting in inadequate effective support volume. To address this, a high-efficiency propping strategy is proposed [...] Read more.
In deep shale gas fracturing, the narrow width of micro fractures presents a challenge for conventional proppants (40/70 mesh, 70/140 mesh), which often fail to enter branch fractures, resulting in inadequate effective support volume. To address this, a high-efficiency propping strategy is proposed based on the hybrid use of micro-proppants and conventional proppants. Utilizing a proppant transport experiment device, the effects of proppant size ratios and injection timing on proppant distribution were investigated to determine the optimal design parameters. The results indicate that the 200/400 mesh micro-proppant can effectively enter the distal micro fractures, thereby mitigating the problem of the non-uniform distribution of the proppant within the fracture network. To ensure effective propping of secondary fractures, the optimal pumping sequence is to inject quartz sand first, followed by ceramic proppants. The recommended ratio of 70/140 mesh quartz sand to 40/70 mesh ceramic proppants is 7:3. Additionally, for blended injection, the optimal mixing ratio of 70/140 mesh quartz sand to micro-proppant is 8:2. Field trials at the L-X1 well in the LZ block demonstrate that this strategy significantly boosts post-fracturing production, with test yields increasing 2.4 to 4 times. Full article
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