Rock matrix-fractured media model for heterogeneous and fractured coal bed

Coal was considered rock matrix-fractured media composed of rock matrix and fractures, and the rock matrix-fractured media model for heterogeneous and fractured coal bed was presented. In this model the rock matrix is heterogeneous, and the mechanical parameters such as elastic modulus and strength follow Weibull distribution. Fractures in coal bed were generated with the discrete fracture network method, and the properties of fractures were simulated with Desai element. Then the virtual generating system (VGS) of natural heterogeneous and fractured coal bed was developed in Matlab 6.0. The coupled model of gas flow and deformation process based on the rock matrix-fractured media model method and VGS for heterogeneous and fractured coal bed was presented, and the numerical code was developed in Matlab 6.0. The gas flow process in the heterogeneous and fractured coal bed was simulated in a numerical case. The main conclusions are: 1) The natural heterogeneous and fractured coal bed could be simulated by the rock matrix-fractured media model and VGS; 2) The fractures connected with the well have much more effects on gas flow than those non-connected.

Enhanced recovery of tight reservoirs after fracturing by natural gas huff-n-puff: Underlying mechanisms and influential factors

Tight oil resources are abundant in the world.It is very important to strengthen the research on the development theory and technology of tight oil reservoirs for ensuring national energy security.Natural gas huff-n-puff can effectively improve the oil recovery of tight oil reservoirs.However,the pore-scale oil production characteristics and the mechanisms of natural gas huff-n-puff in matrix-fracture cores are poorly understood.The influence degree of important factors on oil recovery is not clear and the interactions between factors are rarely considered.In this paper,the oil production characteristics and mechanisms of natural gas huff-n-puff in tight cores with different fracture lengths were quantitatively analyzed by combining nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)with numerical simulation technology.The influencing factors and their interactions were evaluated by the response surface method(RSM).The results show that tight cores mainly consist of medium pores(0.1–1μm)and small pores(0.01–0.1μm).The fracture mainly increases the proportion of macro-pores(1–10μm)and medium pores.In the natural gas huff-n-puff process,crude oil from macro-pores(1–10μm)and medium pores is mainly developed,and the contribution percentage of crude oil in medium pores to oil recovery is the largest,up to 98.28%.The position of gas–oil contact(GOC)moves deeper as the number of huff-n-puff cycles increases.The contents of CH_(4) and CO_(2) in the oil phase remain at a high level within the GOC,while between the GOC and the component sweep front,the contents of CH_(4) and CO_(2) in the oil phase decrease with the increase in dimensionless distance.The gas component sweep volume is increasing with the increase in fracture length.Moreover,the injected natural gas mainly extracts C_(3)–C_(10) components from crude oil.The reduction law of crude oil viscosity is consistent with the migration laws of CH_(4) components along the path.Compared with soaking time and gas diffusion coefficient,the injection pressure is the most significant factor underlying the recovery of natural gas huff-n-puff in tight cores.Besides the influence of single-factor,the interaction effects of gas injection pressure and diffusion also should be considered to determine the huff-n-puff parameters in the field implementation of natural gas huff-n-puff in tight reservoirs after fracturing.

Effect of adsorption-induced matrix swelling on coal permeability evolution of micro-fracture with the real geometry

Gas transport in coal induces effective stress variation,matrix swelling/shrinkage,and significantly affects matrix and fracture deformation,resulting in porosity and permeability evolution.However,the heterogeneity and anisotropy of coal are neglected in dual porosity models,which can lead to the deviation from the real physical mechanisms.To uncover the permeability evolution,especially the influence of dynamic matrix-fracture interaction for real fracture distribution,advanced virtual simulation is proposed.In this study,real fracture geometry is taken into account in the physical model based on the CT-scan image,while the mathematical models for coal deformation and gas flow are established.Our calculations are verified against a long-term experimental data under the same boundary condition.Accordingly,the real matrix-fracture interaction caused by adsorption-induced matrix deformation has been visually exhibited,and some new insight into the behavior of fracture permeability in real materials is offered.The results indicate the non-uniform distribution of fracture geometry is responsible for the nonmonotonic change of permeability.It also found that injection pressure,Langmuir strain constant and initial matrix permeability have important influences on the fracture permeability evolution.This research provides valuable insight into the understanding of the permeability change for the real fracture spatial distribution in coal.