Mathematical modeling of suspension flow in a system of intersecting fractures

In this paper, mathematical modeling of the suspension flow in a complex system of fractures is carried out, when the main fracture is crossed by secondary fracture. The mathematical model of the process is built in the one-fluid approximation and includes the continuity equation for the suspension, the system of equations of suspension motion, the mass conservation equation in the form of a convective-diffusion transfer equation for the volume concentration of particles. The solution of the problem in a 3D formulation is implemented in the OpenFOAM software package. The dynamics of the distribution of solid spherical particles in a network of fractures was studied depending on the ratio of the characteristic Reynolds numbers for the flow and particles, as well as on the ratio of the length of the main and secondary fractures.