Production EngineeringHydraulic Fracturing
Proppant Settlement Drag Coefficient in Fracture Formula
Proppant Settlement Drag Coefficient in Fracture calculates drag coefficient for hydraulic fracturing workflows in production engineering.
How engineers use this formula
Use this formula when the listed inputs (rho_p, rho_f, g, d_p, v_t) are known and the assumptions behind the cited hydraulic fracturing relationship match the engineering case being checked.
Assumptions
- Input values are representative for the well, reservoir, fluid, or equipment case being evaluated.
- The declared units match the field-unit constants used in the formula.
- The cited formula applies to the selected petroleum engineering workflow.
Limitations
- The calculation does not replace a full engineering model or operating procedure.
- Accuracy depends on the source correlation, assumptions, input quality, and unit consistency.
Common mistakes
- Mixing unit systems without converting the inputs.
- Using default example values as field recommendations.
- Applying the formula outside the source assumptions.
Default example
Using the default inputs, C_D equals 1.692847 dimensionless.
rho_plbm/ft^3
165
rho_flbm/ft^3
62.4
gft/s^2
32.174
d_pft
0.002
v_tft/s
0.5
Inputs
rho_p
lbm/ft^3Proppant Density
rho_f
lbm/ft^3Fluid Density
g
ft/s^2Gravity Acceleration
d_p
ftProppant Particle Diameter
v_t
ft/sTerminal Particle Settling Velocity
Outputs
C_D
dimensionless
Drag Coefficient
v_t
ft/s
Terminal Particle Settling Velocity
d_p
ft
Proppant Particle Diameter
Source and review
reviewedDaneshy, A. 2013. Fundamentals of Hydraulic Fracturing. Daneshy Consultants International, Page 74.
Source