3D model of hydraulic fracture with Herschel-Bulkley compressible fluid pumping

AbstractA fully-coupled 3D model of early stage of hydraulic fracture propagation is enriched by incorporating two submodels for simulation of fluid flow inside the fracture. The Herschel-Bulkley model is used to describe the flow of non-Newtonian fluid and the Reynolds equation is modified for compressible fluid flow simulation. Propagation of inclined hydraulically driven penny shaped fracture in the rock under multiaxial load is simulated. The influence of the fluid rheology and compressibility on the fluid pressure and the fracture form is shown