Development of new testing procedures to measure propped fracture conductivity considering water damage in clay-rich shale reservoirs: An example of the Barnett Shale

This study shows that the developed laboratory procedures can be utilized to reproducibly measure shale fracture conductivity by both gas and liquid. The conductivity measurement of propped fractures by small size proppants at low concentrations requires strict control on gas flow bypassing the fracture both parallel and perpendicular to the fracture length direction. Shale fracture surface softening is identified as the dominant cause for the significant conductivity reduction after water flow.