Rheology Controlled Heterogeneous Particle Placement in Hydraulic Fracturing

摘要

A method of treating a subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore includes preparing a treatment fluid with shear thinning, non-monotonic rheological properties, injecting the treatment fluid into the subterranean formation, and inducing shear rate softening phase transition in the treatment fluid. The non-monotonic rheology properties can be such that in the relationship between shear stress (sigma) versus strain rate ({dot over (gamma), where {dot over (gamma₁<{dot over (gamma₂<{dot over (gamma₃<{dot over (gamma₄, the shear stress values are sigma₁2sigma₃<=sigma₄, and sigma₃2 The method can heterogeneously deposit proppant or solid acid in a fracture. A system to fracture a subterranean formation includes the fracturing fluid, a wellbore to inject the fracturing fluid to propagate a fracture in the formation, and a rate controller to inject the fracturing fluid into the subterranean formation at a minimum volumetric rate to provide a shear stress at an inlet to the fracture that exceeds sigma₂. The method and system can achieve heterogeneous particle placement with either proppant or solid acid.