Drilling/completion fluids

Acoustic Measurements Aid Mechanical-Damage Characterization in Proppant Packs

The strength and conductivity of proppant packs are key parameters for assessing their performance. This paper introduces a new analysis technique based on interpretation of acoustic measurements to quantify mechanical damage in propping agents.

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Introduction

Mechanical damage that leads to compaction and crushing is studied for sands by measuring ultrasonic velocities. Elastic properties can be estimated from compressional- and shear-wave velocities calculated from acoustic ­measurements. The elastic properties of unconsolidated sands usually are ­studied by use of effective-medium models for granular media. Effective-­medium-theory approaches such as the Hertz-­Mindlin model are often used to derive the effective elastic moduli of packings of identical and spherical granular materials.

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