Fracture Conductivity of Shale Considering Sample Soaked in Slick Water

Hydraulic fracturing technology is an effective method to develop shale gas, and fracture conductivity contributes for the shale gas well production. In order to study the factors affecting the conductivity of shale gas well, the conductivity was tested with FCES-100 system. After soaking in slick water for 48 hours, the conductivity can be reduced by about 28.79%. Fracture geometry has a great influence on the conductivity, both diverting fractures and branching fractures make fluid flow channels longer, thus reducing the conductivity by 33.34% at the most. The effect of the stress loading rate on the conductivity couldn’t be ignored as well, and the higher the stress loading rate, the lower the conductivity. The conductivity of 100 mesh ceramsite decreases by 82.67% when the closure pressure increases from 5 MPa to 50 MPa. For long-term conductivity tests, the conductivity decreased quickly in the early stage when the closure pressure reached 50 MPa at approximately 64 h. Relevant conclusions could provide guidance for hydraulic fracturing treatment according to the experimental results.