An Experimental Investigation of Pressure-dependent and Time-dependent Fracture Aperture and Permeability in Barnett Shale

U.S. domestic shale-gas production is economic owing to the new completion practice of horizontal wells and multiple hydraulic fractures. The performance of these fractures is improved through the placement of proppant. The change in the stress can affect fracture conductivity considerably. The objective of this study is to experimentally determine the impact of rock stress and time on aperture and permeability of hydraulic fractures in shale gas reservoirs. Seven experiments were conducted to measure pressure and time dependent closure and permeability of hydraulic fractures created in Barnett shale under different confining pressure. Result shows that pressure dependence of permeability of these fractures obeys Walsh’s permeability models. Time dependence of permeability at high stresses reveals that proppant embedment occurred to the Barnett shale cores