Effects of Crosslinking Agents and Reservoir Conditions on the Propagation of Fractures in Coal Reservoirs During Hydraulic Fracturing

Low fracturing efficiency and high permeability filtration present substantial challenges during the fracturing development of coalbed methane (CBM), significantly hindering its efficient exploitation. In this study, a cross-linker featuring specific polar functional groups on its side chains was synthesized, and a multi-functional coupling evaluation apparatus was developed to systematically investigate the performance characteristics of water-based fracturing fluids. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations were employed to elucidate the microscopic mechanisms by which the modified cross-linkers and various external factors influence CBM extraction efficiency. The results indicated that the modified…