Horizontal well spacing optimization and gas injection simulation for the ultra-low-permeability Yongjin reservoir

Optimal spacing for vertical wells can be effectively predicted with several published methods,but methods suitable for assessing the proper horizontal well spacing are rare.This work proposes a method for calculating the optimal horizontal well spacing for an ultra-low permeability reservoir e the Yongjin reservoir in the Juggar Basin,northwestern China.The result shows that a spacing of 640m is the most economical for the development of the reservoir.To better develop the reservoir,simulation approaches are used and a new model is built based on the calculated well spacing.Since the reservoir has an ultralow permeability,gas injection is regarded as the preferred enhanced oil recovery(EOR)method.Injection of different gases including carbon dioxide,methane,nitrogen and mixed gas are modelled.The results show that carbon dioxide injection is the most efficient and economical for the development of the reservoir.However,if the reservoir produces enough methane,reinjecting methane is even better than injecting carbon dioxide.

Integrated numerical simulation of hydraulic fracturing and production in shale gas well considering gas-water two-phase flow

Based on the displacement discontinuity method and the discrete fracture unified pipe network model,a sequential iterative numerical method was used to build a fracturing-production integrated numerical model of shale gas well considering the two-phase flow of gas and water.The model accounts for the influence of natural fractures and matrix properties on the fracturing process and directly applies post-fracturing formation pressure and water saturation distribution to subsequent well shut-in and production simulation,allowing for a more accurate fracturing-production integrated simulation.The results show that the reservoir physical properties have great impacts on fracture propagation,and the reasonable prediction of formation pressure and reservoir fluid distribution after the fracturing is critical to accurately predict the gas and fluid production of the shale gas wells.Compared with the conventional method,the proposed model can more accurately simulate the water and gas production by considering the impact of fracturing on both matrix pressure and water saturation.The established model is applied to the integrated fracturing-production simulation of practical horizontal shale gas wells.The simulation results are in good agreement with the practical production data,thus verifying the accuracy of the model.

Numerical Simulation of Asphaltene Precipitation and Deposition during Natural Gas and CO_(2) Injection

Asphaltene deposition is a significant problem during gas injection processes,as it can block the porous medium,the wellbore,and the involved facilities,significantly impacting reservoir productivity and ultimate oil recovery.Only a few studies have investigated the numerical modeling of this potential effect in porous media.This study focuses on asphaltene deposition due to natural gas and CO_(2) injection.Predictions of the effect of gas injection on asphaltene deposition behavior have been made using a 3D numerical simulation model.The results indicate that the injection of natural gas exacerbates asphaltene deposition,leading to a significant reduction in permeability near the injection well and throughout the reservoir.This reduction in permeability strongly affects the ability of gas toflow through the reservoir,resulting in an improvement of the displacement front.The displacement effi-ciency of the injection gas process increases by up to 1.40%when gas is injected at 5500 psi,compared to the scenario where the asphaltene model is not considered.CO_(2) injection leads to a miscible process with crude oil,extracting light and intermediate components,which intensifies asphaltene precipitation and increases the viscosity of the remaining crude oil,ultimately reducing the recovery rate.

Optimizing design of lattice materials based on finite element simulation

The optimized design of simple cross-truss and column lattice structures was carried out by the SolidWorks simulation module.The effective density of the structure was calculated according to the weight reduction requirements proposed by the project.Then,the vari-ation curve between the maximum bearing stress of the unit structure and the structural variables was obtained by simulation.Meanwhile,the mathematical equation between the maximum bearing stress and the structural variables could be obtained through MATLAB fitting.The results indicated that with the decrease in the number of cells,the compressive strength of the prepared column lattice increased(400 to 4 cells,compressive strength 29 MPa to 160 MPa).However,the yield strength increased with the number of cells.The compression strength of the simple cross-truss lattice samples indicated an increase trend with the decrease of the pillar size(an increase of the number of units),reaching 91 MPa(pillar diameter 0.52 mm,number of units 25).While the yield strength increased with the increasing of the number of units.In addition,the additive manufacturing processes of simple cubic lattice and simple cross-pillar lattice were investigated using selective laser melting.The compression performance obtained from the experiment is compared with the simulation results,which are in good agreement.The results of this paper can provide an important reference for optimizing design of lattice materials.

Desulfurization characteristics of slaked lime and regulation optimization of circulating fluidized bed flue gas desulfurization process--A combined experimental and numerical simulation study

Circulating fluidized bed flue gas desulfurization(CFB-FGD) process has been widely applied in recent years. However, high cost caused by the use of high-quality slaked lime and difficult operation due to the complex flow field are two issues which have received great attention. Accordingly, a laboratory-scale fluidized bed reactor was constructed to investigate the effects of physical properties and external conditions on desulfurization performance of slaked lime, and the conclusions were tried out in an industrial-scale CFB-FGD tower. After that, a numerical model of the tower was established based on computational particle fluid dynamics(CPFD) and two-film theory. After comparison and validation with actual operation data, the effects of operating parameters on gas-solid distribution and desulfurization characteristics were investigated. The results of experiments and industrial trials showed that the use of slaked lime with a calcium hydroxide content of approximately 80% and particle size greater than 40 μm could significantly reduce the cost of desulfurizer. Simulation results showed that the flow field in the desulfurization tower was skewed under the influence of circulating ash. We obtained optimal operating conditions of 7.5 kg·s^(-1)for the atomized water flow, 70 kg·s^(-1)for circulating ash flow, and 0.56 kg·s^(-1)for slaked lime flow, with desulfurization efficiency reaching 98.19% and the exit flue gas meeting the ultraclean emission and safety requirements. All parameters selected in the simulation were based on engineering examples and had certain application reference significance.

Numerical Simulation of Liquified Natural Gas Boiling Heat Transfer Characteristics in Helically Coiled Tube-in-Tube Heat Exchangers

Helically coiled tube-in-tube(HCTT)heat exchangers are widely applied to the process technology because of their compactness and higher heat transfer efficiency.HCTT heat exchangers play an important role in liquified natural gas(LNG)use and cold energy recovery.The heat transfer characteristics,pressure distribution,and degree of vaporization of LNG in HCTT heat exchangers are numerically investigated.By comparing the simulation results of the computational model with existing experimental results,the effectiveness of the computational model is verified.The numerical simulation results show the vapor volume fraction of the HCTT heat exchanger is related to the inlet Reynolds number,inner tube diameters,and helix diameter.The vapor volume fraction increases rapidly from the fourth to the seventh equal division points of the helix tube length.On condition that the inlet Reynolds number is greater than 33500,the pressure drop rate gradually increases.When the magnitude of the vapor volume fraction is below 0.2,the heat transfer coefficient increase rate is greater than that when the vapor volume fraction is above 0.2.The heat exchange efficiency of HCTT heat exchangers increases with the decrease of the ratio of helix diameter to inner tube diameter.

Study of 3-D Numerical Simulation for Gas Transfer in the Goaf of the Coal Mining

In order to simulate field distribution rules,mathematical models for 3-D air flows and gas transfer in the goaf of the coal mining are established,based on theories of permeability and dynamic dispersion through porous media. A gas dispersion equation in a 3-D field is calculated by use of numerical method on a weighted upstream multi-element balance. Based on data of an example with a U type ventilation mode,surface charts of air pressure distribution and gas concentration are drawn by Graphtool software. Finally,a comparison between actually measured results in the model test and the numerical simulation results is made to proves the numerical implementation feasible.

Similarity criteria and coal-like material in coal and gas outburst physical simulation

Coal and gas outburst is one of the main gas hazards in coal mines. However, due to the risks of the coal and gas outburst, the field test is difficult to complete. Therefore, an effective approach to studying the mechanism and development of outburst is to conduct the similar physical simulation. However, the similarity criteria and similar materials in outburst are the key factors which restrict the development of physical simulation. To solve those problems, this paper has established similarity criteria base on mechanics model, solid-fluid coupling model and energy model, and presented high similar materials. Combining with three groups of similar number, and considering similar mechanical parameters and deformation and failure regularity, the similarity criteria of outburst is determined on the basis of the energy model. According to those criteria, we put forward a similar material consists of pulverized coal, cement, sand, activated carbon, and water. The similar material has high compressive strength and the accordant characteristics with the raw coal, include density, porosity, adsorption, desorption. The new research is promising for preventing and controlling gas hazards in the future.

Numerical simulation of gas migration into mining-induced fracture network in the goaf

Gas extraction practice has been proven for the clear majority of coal mines in China to be unfavorable using drill holes in the coal seam. Rather, mining-induced fractures in the goaf should be utilized for gas extraction. To study gas migration in mining-induced fractures, one mining face of 10 th Mine in Pingdingshan Coalmine Group in Henan, China, has been selected as the case study for this work. By establishing the mathematical model of gas migration under the influence of coal seam mining, discrete element software UDEC and Multiphysics software COMSOL are employed to model gas migration in mining-induced fractures above the goaf. The results show that as the working face advances, the goaf overburden gradually forms a mining-induced fracture network in the shape of a trapezoid, the size of which increases with the distance of coal face advance. Compared with gas migration in the overburden matrix, the gas flow in the fracture network due to mining is far greater. The largest mining-induced fracture is located at the upper end of the trapezoidal zone, which results in the largest gas flux in the network. When drilling for gas extraction in a mining-induced fracture field, the gas concentration is reduced in the whole region during the process of gas drainage, and the rate of gas concentration drops faster in the fractured zone. It is shown that with gas drainage, the gas flow velocity in the mininginduced fracture network is faster.

Numerical simulation of a gas pipeline network using computational fluid dynamics simulators

This article describes numerical simulation of gas pipeline network operation using high-accuracy computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulators of the modes of gas mixture transmission through long, multi-line pipeline systems (CFD-simulator). The approach used in CFD-simulators for modeling gas mixture transmission through long, branched, multi-section pipelines is based on tailoring the full system of fluid dynamics equations to conditions of unsteady, non-isothermal processes of the gas mixture flow. Identification, in a CFD-simulator, of safe parameters for gas transmission through compressor stations amounts to finding the interior points of admissible sets described by systems of nonlinear algebraic equalities and inequalities. Such systems of equalities and inequalities comprise a formal statement of technological, design, operational and other constraints to which operation of the network equipment is subject. To illustrate the practicability of the method of numerical simulation of a gas transmission network, we compare computation results and gas flow parameters measured on-site at the gas transmission enter-prise.

Digital core approach to the effects of clay on the electrical properties of saturated rocks using lattice gas automation

Clay has a significant influence on the relationship between resistivity index I and water saturation Sw （i.e, I-Sw relationship） of reservoir rocks because it complicates the current paths of these rocks. It is difficult to reveal the physical mechanisms of these clay effects on the conductivities of various rocks by physical laboratory measurements because the pore structure, micro distribution and content of clay inside a rock can not be observed and controlled during the experiments. We present a digital rock approach to study these clay effects on the electrical transport properties of reservoir rocks at pore scale using lattice gas automation （LGA） method. The digital rock samples are constructed with the information of grain size distribution from SEM images of reservoir rocks. The LGA is then applied on these digital rocks fully saturated with fluids to simulate the electrical transport properties for revealing the effects of volume and distribution patterns of clay on the non-Archie behaviors of the I-Sw relationship. The very good agreement between the simulated results and the laboratory measurements clearly demonstrates the validity of the LGA in numerical research of rock physics. Based on these studies, a new model has been developed for quantitatively describing the relationship between the saturation exponent and the volume of clay （Vsh）. This development may improve the evaluation for the fluid saturations in reservoir rocks.

Numerical Simulation of Gas Holdup Distribution in a Standard Rushton Stirred Tank Using Discrete Particle Method

The discrete particle method was used to simulate the distribution of gas holdup in a gas-liquid standard Rushton stirred tank. The gas phase was treated as a large number of bubbles and their trajectories were tracked with the results of motion equations. The two-way approach was performed to couple the interphase momentum exchange. The turbulent dispersion of bubbles with a size distribution was modeled using a stochastic tracking model, and the added mass force was involved to account for the effect of bubble acceleration on the surrounding fluid. The predicted gas holdup distribution showed that this method could give reasonable prediction comparable to the reported experimental data when the effect of turbulence was took into account in modification for drag coefficient.

High density gas state at water/graphite interface studied by molecular dynamics simulation

In this paper molecular dynamics simulations are performed to study the accumulation behaviour of N2 and H2 at water/graphite interface under ambient temperature and pressure. It finds that both N2 and H2 molecules can accumulate at the interface and form one of two states according to the ratio of gas molecules number to square of graphite surface from our simulation results： gas films （pancake-like） for a larger ratio and nanobubbles for a smaller ratio. In addition, we discuss the stabilities of nanobubbles at different environment temperatures. Surprisingly, it is found that the density of both kinds of gas states can be greatly increased, even comparable with that of the liquid N2 and liquid H2. The present results are expected to be helpful for the understanding of the stable existence of gas film （pancake-like） and nanobubbles.

Multi-scaled simulation of latticed frames considering bending collapse of pipes

To consider the bending collapse of the pipes in the latticed frames, based on the multi-scale simulation, the collapsed parts of the pipe are meshed by the shell elements as micro-scaled models, and the other parts are meshed by beam elements macro-models. The incremental displacement constraint equations for the nodes on the section between the two models are established based on the plane section premise of classical beam theory. The method to introduce the constraint equations is derived based on the Updated Largrangian method. The location of the micro-model is predicted by the stress field of the beam element, and the length of the collapsed part is adjusted by the plastic energy in the micro model. Several examples are included to illustrate the efficiency and accuracy of this method.

Non-equilibrium Molecular Dynamics Simulation on Pure Gas Permeability Through Carbon Membranes

The permeation of various pure gas （H2, He, Ne, CH4 and At） through carbon membranes is investigated using a dual control volume grand canonical molecular dynamics method. A two-dimensional slit pore is employed instead of the one-dimensional pore. Compared with the experiments, simulation results show that the improvement of pore model is very necessary. The effects of membrane thickness, pore width and temperature on gas permeance and ideal separation factor are also discussed. Results show that gas permeates through membrane according to Knudsen diffusion in large pore, while Knudsen diffusion is accompanied by molecular sieving in small pore. Moreover, methane is easily adsorbed on the membrane surface due to strong attractive interactions of membrane and shows higher permeance than that of Knudsen flow. In addition, it is noted that when membrane thickness is thin enough the permeance of gas does not decrease with the increase of membrane thickness due to the strong adsorption until membrane resistance becomes dominant.

Numerical simulation of non-Archie electrophysical property of saturated rock with lattice Boltzmann method

The electrophysical property of saturated rocks is very important for reservoir identification and evaluation. In this paper, the lattice Boltzmann method （LBM） was used to study the electrophysical property of rock saturated with fluid because of its advantages over conventional numerical approaches in handling complex pore geometry and boundary conditions. The digital core model was constructed through the accumulation of matrix grains based on their radius distribution obtained by the measurements of core samples. The flow of electrical current through the core model saturated with oil and water was simulated on the mesoscopic scale to reveal the non-Archie relationship between resistivity index and water saturation （I-Sw）. The results from LBM simulation and laboratory measurements demonstrated that the I-Sw relation in the range of low water saturation was generally not a straight line in the log-log coordinates as described by the Archie equation. We thus developed a new equation based on numerical simulation and physical experiments. This new equation was used to fit the data from laboratory core measurements and previously published data. Determination of fluid saturation and reservoir evaluation could be significantly improved by using the new equation.

Sulfur deposition in sour gas reservoirs:laboratory and simulation study

Sulfur deposition in the formation, induced by a reduction in the solubility of the sulfur in the gas phase, may significantly reduce the inflow performance of sour gas wells and some wells in sour gas reservoirs have even become completely plugged with deposited sulfur within several months. Accurate prediction and effective management of sulfur deposition are crucial to the economic viability of sour gas reservoirs. In this paper, a dynamic flow experiment was carried out to investigate formation damage resulting from sulfur deposition using an improved experimental method. The core sample was extracted from the producing interval of the LG2 well, LG gas field in the Sichuan Basin. The experimental temperature was 26 °C and the initial pressure was 19 MPa. The displacement pressure continuously decreased from 19 to 10 MPa, and the depletion process lasted 15 days. Then the core was removed and dried. The core mass and core permeability were measured before and after experiments. Experimental results indicated that the core mass increased from 48.372 g before experiment to 48.386 g afterwards, while the core permeability reduced from 0.726 to 0.608 md during the experiment. Then the core was analyzed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray mapping. The deposition pattern and micro-distribution of elemental sulfur was observed and the deposited elemental sulfur distributed as a film around the pore surface.

Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study on the Performance of Gas/liquid Spiral Separator

The gas/liquid spiral separator, a key component in the compressed air system, was used to remove liquid and oil from gas stream by centrifugal and gravitational forces. To optimize the design of the separator,the relationship between the performance and structural parameters of separators is studied. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method is employed to simulate the flow fields and calculate the pressure drop and separation efficiency of air-liquid spiral separators with different structural parameters. The RSM (Reynolds stress model)turbulence model is used to analyze the highly swirling flow fields while the stochastic trajectory model is used to simulate the traces of liquid droplets in the flow field. A simplified calculation formula of pressure drop in spiral structures is obtained by modifying Darcy's equation and verified by experiment.

The simulation of gas production from oceanic gas hydrate reservoir by the combination of ocean surface warm water flooding with depressurization

A new method is proposed to produce gas from oceanic gas hydrate reservoir by combining the ocean surface warm water flooding with depressurization which can efficiently utilize the synthetic effects of thermal, salt and depressurization on gas hydrate dissociation. The method has the advantage of high efficiency, low cost and enhanced safety. Based on the proposed conceptual method, the physical and mathematical models are established, in which the effects of the flow of multiphase fluid, the kinetic process of hydrate dissociation, the endothermic process of hydrate dissociation, ice-water phase equilibrium, salt inhibition, dispersion, convection and conduction on the hydrate disso- ciation and gas and water production are considered. The gas and water rates, formation pressure for the combination method are compared with that of the single depressurization, which is referred to the method in which only depres- surization is used. The results show that the combination method can remedy the deficiency of individual producing methods. It has the advantage of longer stable period of high gas rate than the single depressurization. It can also reduce the geologic hazard caused by the formation defor- mation due to the maintaining of the formation pressure by injected ocean warm water.

A traffic flow lattice model considering relative current influence and its numerical simulation

Based on Xue＇s lattice model, an extended lattice model is proposed by considering the relative current information about next-nearest-neighbour sites ahead. The linear stability condition of the presented model is obtained by employing the linear stability theory. The density wave is investigated analytically with the perturbation method. The results show that the occurrence of traffic jamming transitions can be described by the kink-antikink solution of the modified Korteweg-de Vries （mKdV） equation. The simulation results are in good agreement with the analytical results, showing that the stability of traffic flow can be enhanced when the relative current of next-nearest-neighbour sites ahead is considered.