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Determining Beta Factors in Hydraulic Fractures Abstract The purpose of this research project is to perform experiments that will yield data for determining the Beta factor in a hydraulic fracture where the flow rates are in the turbulent flow regime. Flow through hydraulic fractures at low rates in the petroleum industry are typically modeled using Darcy’s law for laminar flow in porous media. In cases where flow rates are higher and the flow model is turbulent Darcy’s law predicts much higher rates than are physically observed. This is attributed to the fact that in laminar flow the pressure gradient is proportional to the velocity; however, in turbulent flow the pressure drop will increase more than the proportional increase in velocity. To account for this the beta factor(b) was incorporated into the modified Darcy equation. By running a series of flow tests through a proppant pack with a media of known viscosity in the laminar flow regime permeability can be determined. Using this permeability another series of flow tests in the turbulent regime can be conducted to find the beta factor. By performing these tests for a number of different sizes of proppant a better analytical interpretation of predicted flow rates for hydraulically stimulated wells will be determined. Modified Darcy Equation Forchheimer Equation Biography
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