Characterizing Tight Oil Reservoirs With Dual- and Triple-Porosity Models

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ezulike Daniel Obinna ◽  
Dehghanpour Hassan

The response of existing transient triple-porosity models for fractured horizontal wells do not converge to that of linear dual-porosity model (DPM) in the absence of natural/microfractures (MFs). The main reason is the assumption of sequential-depletion from matrix to MF, and from MF to hydraulic-fractures (HFs). This can result in unreasonable estimates of MF and/or HF parameters. Hence, the authors proposed a quadrilinear flow model (QFM) in a previous paper which relaxes this sequential-depletion assumption to allow simultaneous matrix–MF and matrix–HF depletion. Also, it is proved that QFM simplifies to both DPM and linear sequential triple-porosity model (STPM). This work considers the implications of applying QFM, STPM, and DPM type-curves and analysis equations on production data of two fractured horizontal wells completed in the Bakken and Cardium Formations. A comparative study of the reservoir parameters estimated from the application of these models to the same production data reveals two key results. First, the application of DPM on the production data from reservoirs with active MF could result in overestimation of HF half-length. This happens to compensate for the extra fluid depletion pathways provided by MF. Second, the application of STPM on the production data from the reservoirs with active matrix–HF communication could result in overestimation of the MF intensity. Results from this study are significant when selecting the appropriate model for interpreting production data from fractured horizontal wells completed in formations with or without active MF. The DPM is appropriate if analog studies (e.g., outcrop, microseismic and image log analyses) reveal high fracture spacing aspect ratio (negligible MF) in the reservoir. Fracture spacing aspect ratio is MF spacing divided by the HF spacing. The STPM is appropriate if analog studies reveal low spacing aspect ratio (e.g., matrix–HF face damage or high MF intensity within a given HF spacing). QFM is appropriate for all fracture spacing aspect ratios.

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (01) ◽  
pp. 070-082 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. Ogunyomi ◽  
T. W. Patzek ◽  
L. W. Lake ◽  
C. S. Kabir

Summary Production data from most fractured horizontal wells in gas and liquid-rich unconventional reservoirs plot as straight lines with a one-half slope on a log-log plot of rate vs. time. This production signature (half-slope) is identical to that expected from a 1D linear flow from reservoir matrix to the fracture face, when production occurs at constant bottomhole pressure. In addition, microseismic data obtained around these fractured wells suggest that an area of enhanced permeability is developed around the horizontal well, and outside this region is an undisturbed part of the reservoir with low permeability. On the basis of these observations, geoscientists have, in general, adopted the conceptual double-porosity model in modeling production from fractured horizontal wells in unconventional reservoirs. The analytical solution to this mathematical model exists in Laplace space, but it cannot be inverted back to real-time space without use of a numerical inversion algorithm. We present a new approximate analytical solution to the double-porosity model in real-time space and its use in modeling and forecasting production from unconventional oil reservoirs. The first step in developing the approximate solution was to convert the systems of partial-differential equations (PDEs) for the double-porosity model into a system of ordinary-differential equations (ODEs). After which, we developed a function that gives the relationship between the average pressures in the high- and the low-permeability regions. With this relationship, the system of ODEs was solved and used to obtain a rate/time function that one can use to predict oil production from unconventional reservoirs. The approximate solution was validated with numerical reservoir simulation. We then performed a sensitivity analysis on the model parameters to understand how the model behaves. After the model was validated and tested, we applied it to field-production data by partially history matching and forecasting the expected ultimate recovery (EUR). The rate/time function fits production data and also yields realistic estimates of ultimate oil recovery. We also investigated the existence of any correlation between the model-derived parameters and available reservoir and well-completion parameters.


Geofluids ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiahang Wang ◽  
Xiaodong Wang ◽  
Wenxiu Dong

The paper developed a new semianalytical model for multiple-fractured horizontal wells (MFHWs) with stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) in tight oil reservoirs by combining source function theory with boundary element idea. The model is first validated by both analytical and numerical model. Then new type curves are established. Finally, the effects of SRV shape, SRV size, SRV permeability, and parameters of hydraulic fractures are discussed. Results show that SRV has great influence on the pressure response of MFHWs; the parameters of fractures, such as fracture distribution, length, and conductivity, also can affect the transient pressure of MFHWs. One novelty of this model is to consider the nonlinear flow around hydraulic fracture tips. The other novelty is the ability to model the shape of the SRV, production behavior of different fractures, and interfaces. Compared to numerical and analytic methods, this model can not only reduce extensive computing processing but also show high accuracy.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingjing Guo ◽  
Haitao Wang ◽  
Liehui Zhang ◽  
Chengyong Li

Triple-porosity model is usually adopted to describe reservoirs with multiscaled pore spaces, including matrix pores, natural fractures, and vugs. Multiple fractures created by hydraulic fracturing can effectively improve the connectivity between existing natural fractures and thus increase well deliverability. However, little work has been done on pressure transient behavior of multistage fractured horizontal wells in triple-porosity reservoirs. Based on source/sink function method, this paper presents a triple-porosity model to investigate the transient pressure dynamics and flux distribution for multistage fractured horizontal wells in fractured-vuggy reservoirs with consideration of stress-dependent natural fracture permeability. The model is semianalytically solved by discretizing hydraulic fractures and Pedrosa’s transformation, perturbation theory, and integration transformation method. Type curves of transient pressure dynamics are generated, and flux distribution among hydraulic fractures for a fractured horizontal well with constant production rate is also discussed. Parametric study shows that major influential parameters on transient pressure responses are parameters pertinent to reservoir properties, interporosity mass transfer, and hydraulic fractures. Analysis of flux distribution indicates that flux density gradually increases from the horizontal wellbore to fracture tips, and the flux contribution of outermost fractures is higher than that of inner fractures. The model can also be extended to optimize hydraulic fracture parameters.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hafiz Mustafa Ud Din Sheikh ◽  
W. J. Lee ◽  
H. S. Jha

Abstract This paper presents a simple method to model boundary-dominated flow in hydraulically fractured wells, including horizontal wells with multiple fractures. While these wells are almost always producedat more nearly constant BHP rather than constant rate, use of material-balance time transforms variable-rate production profiles to constant-rate profiles, allowing us to use the pseudo-steady-state (PSS) flow equation for modeling. However, the PSS equation requires use of shape factors in applications, and shape factors available in the literature are available only for square-shaped bounded reservoirs with hydraulic fractures. In this work, we derived shape factors for wells centered in rectangular-shaped drainage areas with different length-to-width aspect ratios. The superposition principle can be used to transform transient radial flow and transient linear flow solutions into bounded reservoir solutions. At large times (when boundary-dominated flow is established), results from these solutions are similar to those obtained from the PSS equation. Therefore, for a pre-defined reservoir geometry, pressure drop values from superimposed transient flow equationscan be substituted back into the PSS equation to calculate shape factors for that reservoir geometry.We used shape factors previously presented by other authors for square drainage areas to validate themethod before applying it to calculate shape factors for more general drainage area configurations. We present shape factors for different fracture half-length to fracture-spacing ratios ranging from 0.2 to 10. Calculated shape factors, when plotted against the fracture half-length to fracture-spacing ratio, produced a smooth curve which can be used to interpolate shape factor values for other fracture configurations. We present applications of this methodology to example low-permeability wells. The use of the PSS equation for wells with vertical fracturescan be extended to multi-fractured horizontal wells (MFHWs) by incorporating the number of fractures in the equation; hence, shape factorsderived for wells with vertical fractures can also be used for MFHWs. Although our results are rigorously correct only for fluids with constant compressibility, use of pseudo-pressure and pseudo-time transformations extend application to compressible fluids, notably gases. Using the PSS equation in production data analysis allows us to calculate contributing reservoir volume and drainage area in a simple manner not requiring use of specialized software.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 5204
Author(s):  
Dongyan Fan ◽  
Hai Sun ◽  
Jun Yao ◽  
Hui Zeng ◽  
Xia Yan ◽  
...  

In order to investigate pressure performance of multiple fractured horizontal wells (MFHWs) penetrating heterogeneous unconventional reservoir and avoid the high computational cost of numerical simulation, a semi-analytical model for MFHWs combining Green function solution and boundary element method has been obtained, where the reservoir is divided into different homogeneous substructures and coupled at interface boundaries by plane source function in a closed rectangular parallelepiped. Hydraulic fractures are assumed uniform flux and dual porosity model is used for natural fractures system. Then the model is validated by compared with analytical solution of MFHWs in a homogeneous reservoir and trilinear flow model, which shows that this model can achieve high accuracy even with a small interface discretization number, and it can consider the radial flow around each hydraulic fractures. Finally, the pressure responses with heterogeneous parameters of reservoirs are discussed including heterogeneous permeability, non-uniform block-length and fracture half-length distribution as well as dual porosity parameters like elastic storage ratio and crossflow ratio.


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