Proppant transport in rough fracture networks using supercritical CO_(2)

Proppant transport within fractures is one of the most critical tasks in oil,gas and geothermal reservoir stimulation,as it largely determines the ultimate performance of the operating well.Proppant transport in rough fracture networks is still a relatively new area of research and the associated transport mechanisms are still unclear.In this study,representative parameters of rough fracture surfaces formed by supercritical CO_(2) fracturing were used to generate a rough fracture network model based on a spectral synthesis method.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)coupled with the discrete element method(DEM)was used to study proppant transport in this rough fracture network.To reveal the turning transport mechanism of proppants into branching fractures at the intersections of rough fracture networks,a comparison was made with the behavior within smooth fracture networks,and the effect of key pumping parameters on the proppant placement in a secondary fracture was analyzed.The results show that the transport behavior of proppant in rough fracture networks is very different from that of the one in the smooth fracture networks.The turning transport mechanisms of proppant into secondary fractures in rough fracture networks are gravity-driven sliding,high velocity fluid suspension,and fracture structure induction.Under the same injection conditions,supercritical CO_(2)with high flow Reynolds number still has a weaker ability to transport proppant into secondary fractures than water.Thickening of the supercritical CO_(2)needs to be increased beyond a certain value to have a significant effect on proppant carrying,and under the temperature and pressure conditions of this paper,it needs to be increased more than 20 times(about 0.94 m Pa s).Increasing the injection velocity and decreasing the proppant concentration facilitates the entry of proppant into the branching fractures,which in turn results in a larger stimulated reservoir volume.The results help to understand the proppant transport and placement process in rough fracture networks formed by reservoir stimulation,and provide a theoretical reference for the optimization of proppant pumping parameters in hydraulic fracturing.

Estimation of the anisotropy of hydraulic conductivity through 3D fracture networks using the directional geological entropy

With an extension of the geological entropy concept in porous media,the approach called directional entrogram is applied to link hydraulic behavior to the anisotropy of the 3D fracture networks.A metric called directional entropic scale is used to measure the anisotropy of spatial order in different directions.Compared with the traditional connectivity indexes based on the statistics of fracture geometry,the directional entropic scale is capable to quantify the anisotropy of connectivity and hydraulic conductivity in heterogeneous 3D fracture networks.According to the numerical analysis of directional entrogram and fluid flow in a number of the 3D fracture networks,the hydraulic conductivities and entropic scales in different directions both increase with spatial order(i.e.,trace length decreasing and spacing increasing)and are independent of the dip angle.As a result,the nonlinear correlation between the hydraulic conductivities and entropic scales from different directions can be unified as quadratic polynomial function,which can shed light on the anisotropic effect of spatial order and global entropy on the heterogeneous hydraulic behaviors.

Hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff optimization of multiple horizontal wells with complex fracture networks in the M unconventional reservoir

The oil production of the multi-fractured horizontal wells(MFHWs) declines quickly in unconventional oil reservoirs due to the fast depletion of natural energy. Gas injection has been acknowledged as an effective method to improve oil recovery factor from unconventional oil reservoirs. Hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff becomes preferable when the CO_(2) source is limited. However, the impact of complex fracture networks and well interference on the EOR performance of multiple MFHWs is still unclear. The optimal gas huff-n-puff parameters are significant for enhancing oil recovery. This work aims to optimize the hydrocarbon gas injection and production parameters for multiple MFHWs with complex fracture networks in unconventional oil reservoirs. Firstly, the numerical model based on unstructured grids is developed to characterize the complex fracture networks and capture the dynamic fracture features.Secondly, the PVT phase behavior simulation was carried out to provide the fluid model for numerical simulation. Thirdly, the optimal parameters for hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff were obtained. Finally, the dominant factors of hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff under complex fracture networks are obtained by fuzzy mathematical method. Results reveal that the current pressure of hydrocarbon gas injection can achieve miscible displacement. The optimal injection and production parameters are obtained by single-factor analysis to analyze the effect of individual parameter. Gas injection time is the dominant factor of hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff in unconventional oil reservoirs with complex fracture networks. This work can offer engineers guidance for hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff of multiple MFHWs considering the complex fracture networks.

Borehole stability in naturally fractured rocks with drilling mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening:A coupled DFN-DEM approach

Borehole instability in naturally fractured rocks poses significant challenges to drilling.Drilling mud invades the surrounding formations through natural fractures under the difference between the wellbore pressure(P w)and pore pressure(P p)during drilling,which may cause wellbore instability.However,the weakening of fracture strength due to mud intrusion is not considered in most existing borehole stability analyses,which may yield significant errors and misleading predictions.In addition,only limited factors were analyzed,and the fracture distribution was oversimplified.In this paper,the impacts of mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening on borehole stability in fractured rocks under both isotropic and anisotropic stress states are investigated using a coupled DEM(distinct element method)and DFN(discrete fracture network)method.It provides estimates of the effect of fracture strength weakening,wellbore pressure,in situ stresses,and sealing efficiency on borehole stability.The results show that mud intrusion and weakening of fracture strength can damage the borehole.This is demonstrated by the large displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on natural fractures,and the generation of fracture at shear limit.Mud intrusion reduces the shear strength of the fracture surface and leads to shear failure,which explains that the increase in mud weight may worsen borehole stability during overbalanced drilling in fractured formations.A higher in situ stress anisotropy exerts a significant influence on the mechanism of shear failure distribution around the wellbore.Moreover,the effect of sealing natural fractures on maintaining borehole stability is verified in this study,and the increase in sealing efficiency reduces the radial invasion distance of drilling mud.This study provides a directly quantitative prediction method of borehole instability in naturally fractured formations,which can consider the discrete fracture network,mud intrusion,and associated weakening of fracture strength.The information provided by the numerical approach(e.g.displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on fracture,and fracture at shear limit)is helpful for managing wellbore stability and designing wellbore-strengthening operations.

Study on the Impact of Massive Refracturing on the Fracture Network in Tight Oil Reservoir Horizontal Wells

Class III tight oil reservoirs have low porosity and permeability,which are often responsible for low production rates and limited recovery.Extensive repeated fracturing is a well-known technique to fix some of these issues.With such methods,existing fractures are refractured,and/or new fractures are created to facilitate communication with natural fractures.This study explored how different refracturing methods affect horizontal well fracture networks,with a special focus on morphology and related fluid flow changes.In particular,the study relied on the unconventional fracture model(UFM).The evolution of fracture morphology and flow field after the initial fracturing were analyzed accordingly.The simulation results indicated that increased formation energy and reduced reservoir stress differences can promote fracture expansion.It was shown that the length of the fracture network,the width of the fracture network,and the complexity of the fracture can be improved,the oil drainage area can be increased,the distance of oil and gas seepage can be reduced,and the production of a single well can be significantly increased.

Fracture network types revealed by well test curves for shale reservoirs in the Sichuan Basin,China

Pressure buildup testing can be used to analyze fracture network characteristics and conduct quantitative interpretation of relevant parameters for shale gas wells,thus providing bases for assessing the well productivity and formulating proper development strategies.This study establishes a new well test interpretation model for fractured horizontal wells based on seepage mechanisms of shale reservoirs and proposes a method for identifying fracturing patterns based on the characteristic slopes of pressure buildup curves and curve combination patterns.The pressure buildup curve patterns are identified to represent three types of shale reservoirs in the Sichuan Basin,namely the moderately deep shale reservoirs with high pressure,deep shale reservoirs with ultra-high pressure,and moderately deep shale reservoirs with normal pressure.Based on this,the relationship between the typical pressure buildup curve patterns and the fracture network types are put forward.Fracturing effects of three types of shale gas reservoir are compared and analyzed.The results show that typical flow patterns of shale reservoirs include bilinear flow in primary and secondary fractures,linear flow in secondary fractures,bilinear flow in secondary fractures and matrix,and linear flow in matrix.The fracture network characteristics can be determined using the characteristic slopes of pressure buildup curves and curve combinations.The linear flow in early secondary fractures is increasingly distinct with an increase in primary fracture conductivity.Moreover,the bilinear flow in secondary fractures and matrix and the subsequent linear flow in the matrix occur as the propping and density of secondary fractures increase.The increase in the burial depth,in-situ stress,and stress difference corresponds to a decrease in the propping of primary fractures that expand along different directions in the shale gas wells in the Sichuan Basin.Four pressure buildup curve patterns exist in the Sichuan Basin and its periphery.The pattern of pressure buildup curves of shale reservoirs in the Yongchuan area can be described as 1/2/→1/4,indicating limited stimulated reservoir volume,poorly propped secondary fractures,and the forming of primary fractures that extend only to certain directions.The pressure buildup curves of shale reservoirs in the main block of the Fuling area show a pattern of 1/4/→1/2 or 1/2,indicating greater stimulated reservoir volume,well propped secondary fractures,and the forming of complex fracture networks.The pattern of pressure buildup curves of shale reservoirs in the Pingqiao area is 1/2/→1/4→/1/2,indicating a fracturing effect somewhere between that of the Fuling and Yongchuan areas.For reservoirs with normal pressure,it is difficult to determine fracture network characteristics from pressure buildup curves due to insufficient formation energy and limited liquid drainage.

SIMULATION OF SOLUTE TRANSPORT IN FRACTURED NETWORK WITH A PROBABILITY METHOD

The simulation of solute transport in fractured rock mass has Finite Element Method（FEM） and Finite Analysis Method（FAM）, etc. been conducted with the Finite Difference Method（FDM）, However, groundwater flow and solute transport is very complex in fractured network compared to the rocks matrix because water flow and tracer particles have different selections of pathways when they travel to the fractured intersections. It is difficult for traditional method to simulate the law of solute transport in fractured network. Hence a new simulation method, the probability method, is developed. In the method, transfer probabilities for fractured network are calculated using the flux of input and output from fractured intersection points, and travel times of tracer particles are determined with random numbers, dispersion parameter and velocity. Furthermore, corresponding computing program is developed using the FORTRAN language. The comparison between simulated and experimental results shows that the probability method is of considerable reliability and is an effective method to simulate solute transport in fractured network, and the case study of the Jinping I-Hydropower Station displays its wide application prospect.

Fractured reservoir modeling by discrete fracture network and seismic modeling in the Tarim Basin,China

Fractured reservoirs are an important target for oil and gas exploration in the Tarim Basin and the prediction of this type of reservoir is challenging.Due to the complicated fracture system in the Tarim Basin,the conventional AVO inversion method based on HTI theory to predict fracture development will result in some errors.Thus,an integrated research concept for fractured reservoir prediction is put forward in this paper.Seismic modeling plays a bridging role in this concept,and the establishment of an anisotropic fracture model by Discrete Fracture Network （DFN） is the key part.Because the fracture system in the Tarim Basin shows complex anisotropic characteristics,it is vital to build an effective anisotropic model.Based on geological,well logging and seismic data,an effective anisotropic model of complex fracture systems can be set up with the DFN method.The effective elastic coefficients,and the input data for seismic modeling can be calculated.Then seismic modeling based on this model is performed,and the seismic response characteristics are analyzed.The modeling results can be used in the following AVO inversion for fracture detection.

A new approach for effectively determining fracture network connec- tions in fractured rocks using R tree indexing

Determinations of fracture network connections would help the investigators remove those ＂meaningless＂ no-flow-passing fractures, providing an updated and more effective fracture network that could considerably improve the computation efficiency in the pertinent numerical simulations of fluid flow and solute transport. The effective algorithms with higher computational efficiency are needed to accomplish this task in large-scale fractured rock masses. A new approach using R tree indexing was proposed for determining fracture connection in 3D stochastically distributed fracture network. By com- paring with the traditional exhaustion algorithm, it was observed that from the simulation results, this approach was much more effective; and the more the fractures were investigated, the more obvious the advantages of the approach were. Furthermore, it was indicated that the runtime used for creating the R tree indexing has a major part in the total of the runtime used for calculating Minimum Bounding Rectangles （MBRs）, creating the R tree indexing, precisely finding out fracture intersections, and identifying flow paths, which are four important steps to determine fracture connections. This proposed approach for the determination of fracture connections in three-dimensional fractured rocks are expected to provide efficient preprocessing and critical database for practically accomplishing numerical computation of fluid flow and solute transport in large-scale fractured rock masses.

Well interference evaluation considering complex fracture networks through pressure and rate transient analysis in unconventional reservoirs

Severe well interference through complex fracture networks(CFNs)can be observed among multi-well pads in low permeability reservoirs.The well interference analysis between multi-fractured horizontal wells(MFHWs)is vitally important for reservoir effective development.Well interference has been historically investigated by pressure transient analysis,while it has shown that rate transient analysis has great potential in well interference diagnosis.However,the impact of complex fracture networks(CFNs)on rate transient behavior of parent well and child well in unconventional reservoirs is still not clear.To further investigate,this paper develops an integrated approach combining pressure and rate transient analysis for well interference diagnosis considering CFNs.To perform multi-well simulation considering CFNs,non-intrusive embedded discrete fracture model approach was applied for coupling fracture with reservoir models.The impact of CFN including natural fractures and frac-hits on pressure and rate transient behavior in multi-well system was investigated.On a logelog plot,interference flow and compound linear flow are two new flow regimes caused by nearby producers.When both NFs and frac-hits are present in the reservoir,frac-hits have a greater impact on well#1 which contains frac-hits,and NFs have greater impact on well#3 which does not have frac-hits.For all well producing circumstances,it might be challenging to see divergence during pseudosteady state flow brought on by frac-hits on the logelog plot.Besides,when NFs occur,reservoir depletion becomes noticeable in comparison to frac-hits in pressure distribution.Application of this integrated approach demonstrates that it works well to characterize the well interference among different multi-fractured horizontal wells in a well pad.Better reservoir evaluation can be acquired based on the new features observed in the novel model,demonstrating the practicability of the proposed approach.The findings of this study can help for better evaluating well interference degree in multi-well systems combing PTA and RTA,which can reduce the uncertainty and improve the accuracy of the well interference analysis based on both field pressure and rate data.

Complex fracture propagation model and plugging timing optimization for temporary plugging fracturing in naturally fractured shale

In this paper,a viscoelasticity-plastic damage constitutive equation for naturally fractured shale is deduced,coupling nonlinear tensile-shear mixed fracture mode.Dynamic perforation-erosion on fluid re-distribution among multi-clusters are considered as well.DFN-FEM(discrete fracture network combined with finite element method)was developed to simulate the multi-cluster complex fractures propagation within temporary plugging fracturing(TPF).Numerical results are matched with field injection and micro-seismic monitoring data.Based on geomechanical characteristics of Weiyuan deep shale gas reservoir in Sichuan Basin,SW China,a multi-cluster complex fractures propagation model is built for TPF.To study complex fractures propagation and the permeability-enhanced region evolution,intersecting and competition mechanisms between the fractures before and after TPF treatment are revealed.Simulation results show that:fracture from middle cluster is restricted by the fractures from side-clusters,and side-clusters plugging is benefit for multi fractures propagation in uniformity;optimized TPF timing should be delayed within a higher density or strike of natural fractures;Within a reservoir-featured natural fractures distribution,optimized TPF timing for most clustered method is 2/3 of total fluid injection time as the optimal plugging time under different clustering modes.

Application of Stochastic Fracture Network with Numerical Fluid Flow Simulations to Groundwater Flow Modeling in Fractured Rocks

The continuum approach in fluid flow modeling is generally applied to porous geological media, but has limited applicability to fractured rocks. With the presence of a discrete fracture network relatively sparsely distributed in the matrix, it may be difficult or erroneous to use a porous medium fluid flow model with continuum assumptions to describe the fluid flow in fractured rocks at small or even large field scales. A discrete fracture fluid flow approach incorporating a stochastic fracture network with numerical fluid flow simulations could have the capability of capturing fluid flow behaviors such as inhomogeneity and anisotropy while reflecting the changes of hydraulic features at different scales. Moreover, this approach can be implemented to estimate the size of the representative elementary volume (REV) in order to find out the scales at which a porous medium flow model could be applied, and then to determine the hydraulic conductivity tensor for fractured rocks. The following topics are focused on in this study: (a) conceptual discrete fracture fluid flow modeling incorporating a stochastic fracture network with numerical flow simulations; (b) estimation of REV and hydraulic conductivity tensor for fractured rocks utilizing a stochastic fracture network with numerical fluid flow simulations; (c) investigation of the effect of fracture orientation and density on the hydraulic conductivity and REV by implementing a stochastic fracture network with numerical fluid flow simulations, and (d) fluid flow conceptual models accounting for major and minor fractures in the 2 D or 3 D flow fields incorporating a stochastic fracture network with numerical fluid flow simulations.

Propagation and sealing efficiency of chemical grouting in a two-dimensional fracture network with flowing water

In this study, an orthogonal array experiment is conducted by using a transparent fracture network replica. Image processing and theoretical analysis are performed to investigate the model sealing efficiency(SE), factors influencing SE, and the effect of flowing water on propagation. The results show that grout propagation can be classified into three patterns in the fracture network: sealing off, partial sealing,and major erosion. The factors controlling the SE in a descending order of the amount of influence are the initial water flow speed, fracture aperture, grout take, and gel time. An optimal value for the combination of the gel time and grout take(artificial factors) can result in a good SE. The grouting and seepage pressures are measured, and the results reveal that their variations can indicate the SE to some extent. The SE is good when the seepage pressure at each point increases overall;the frequent fluctuations in the seepage pressure indicate a moderately poor SE, and an overall decline in the seepage pressure indicates a major erosion type. The deflection effect of grouting shows an approximately elliptical propagation with the long axis expanding along the wider fracture opening, demonstrating further application in grouting design.

Earthquake-induced fracture displacements and transmissivity changes in a 3D fracture network of crystalline rock for spent nuclear fuel disposal

During the long service period of a nuclear waste repository in crystalline rock,large earthquake(s)may occur nearby the repository site and coseismically alter the local stress field around pre-existing fractures within the geological formation.The resulting fracture normal/shear displacements may lead to fracture opening and further promote the transport of leaked radionuclides into the groundwater system.Thus,it is of central importance to analyze the consequences of potential future earthquake(s)on the hydrogeological properties of a repository site for spent nuclear fuel disposal.Based on the detailed site characterization data of the repository site at Forsmark,Sweden,we conduct a three-dimensional(3D)seismo-hydro-mechanical simulation using the 3Dimensional Distinct Element Code(3DEC).We explicitly represent a primary seismogenic fault zone and its surrounding secondary fracture network associated with a power-law size scaling and a Fisher orientation distribution.An earthquake with a magnitude of M_(w)=5.6 caused by the reactivation of the primary fault zone is modeled by simulating its transient rupture propagating radially outwards from a predefined hypocenter at a specified rupture speed,with the faulting dynamics controlled by a strength weakening law.We model the coseismic response of the off-fault fracture network subject to both static and dynamic triggering effects.We further diagnose the distribution of fracture hydro-mechanical properties(e.g.mechanical/hydraulic aperture,hydraulic transmissivity)before and after the earthquake in order to quantify earthquakeinduced hydraulic changes in the fracture network.It is found that earthquake-induced fracture transmissivity changes tend to follow a power-law decay with the distance to the earthquake fault.Our simulation results and insights obtained have important implications for the long-term performance assessment of nuclear waste repositories in fractured crystalline rocks.

Development of an improved three-dimensional rough discrete fracture network model:Method and application

Structure plane is one of the important factors affecting the stability and failure mode of rock mass engineering.Rock mass structure characterization is the basic work of rock mechanics research and the important content of numerical simulation.A new 3-dimensional rough discrete fracture network(RDFN3D)model and its modeling method based on the Weierstrass-Mandelbrot(W-M)function were presented in this paper.The RDFN3D model,which improves and unifies the modelling methods for the complex structural planes,has been realized.The influence of fractal dimension,amplitude,and surface precision on the modeling parameters of RDFN3D was discussed.The reasonable W-M parameters suitable for the roughness coefficient of JRC were proposed,and the relationship between the mathematical model and the joint characterization was established.The RDFN3D together with the smooth 3-dimensional discrete fracture network(DFN3D)models were successfully exported to the drawing exchange format,which will provide a wide application in numerous numerical simulation codes including both the continuous and discontinuous methods.The numerical models were discussed using the COMSOL Multiphysics code and the 3-dimensional particle flow code,respectively.The reliability of the RDFN3D model was preliminarily discussed and analyzed.The roughness and spatial connectivity of the fracture networks have a dominant effect on the fluid flow patterns.The research results can provide a new geological model and analysis model for numerical simulation and engineering analysis of jointed rock mass.

Pump-stopping pressure drop model considering transient leak-off of fracture network

By introducing the coupling flow expressions of main fracture-matrix, secondary fracture-matrix and main fracture-secondary fracture into the traditional main fracture material balance equation, the “main fracture-secondary fracture-matrix” leak-off coupling flow model is established. The pressure-dependent fracture width equation and the wellbore injection volume equation are coupled to solve the pressure-rate continuity problem. The simulation and calculation of the bottomhole pressure drop and fracture network closure after the pump stopping in slickwater volumetric fracturing treatment are realized. The research results show that the log-log curve of pump-stopping bottomhole pressure drop derivative presents five characteristic slope segments, reflecting four dominant stages, i.e. inter-fracture crossflow, fracture network leak-off, fracture network closure and residual leak-off, after pump shutdown. At the initial time of pump shutdown for volumetric fracturing treatment of horizontal well, the crossflow between main and secondary fractures is obvious, and then the leak-off becomes dominant. The leak-off of main and secondary fractures shows a non-uniform decreasing trend. Specifically, the leak-off of main fractures is slow, while that of secondary fractures is fast;the fracture network as a whole presents the leak-off law of fast first, then slow, until close to zero. The influence of fracture network conductivity on the shape of pressure decline curve is relatively weaker than that of fracture network size. The fracture network conductivity is positively correlated with leak-off volume and fracture closure. The secondary fracture size is positively correlated with leakoff volume and closure of the secondary fracture, but negatively correlated with closure of the main fracture. Field data validation proves that the proposed model and simulation results can effectively reflect the closure characteristics of the fracture network, and the interpretation results are reliable and can reflect the non-uniform stimulation performance of each fracturing stage of an actual horizontal well.

Multi-dimensional size effects and representative elements for nonpersistent fractured rock masses: A perspective of geometric parameter distribution

This study takes a fractured rock mass in the Datengxia Hydropower Station,China as an example to analyze the size effects and determine the representative elementary sizes.A novel method considering geometric parameter distributions is proposed in this work.The proposed method can quickly and simply determine the size effects and representative elementary sizes.Specifically,geometric parameter distributions,including fracture frequency,size and orientation,are generated on the basis of the Bernoulli trial and Monte Carlo simulation.The distributions are assessed using the coefficient of variation(CV),and the acceptable variations for CV(5%,10%and 20%)are used to determine representative elementary sizes.Generally,the representative element of rock masses is the representative elementary volume(REV).The present study extends the representative element to other dimensions,i.e.representative elementary length(REL)and representative elementary area(REA)for one and two dimensions,respectively.REL and REA are useful in studying the size effects of one-(1D)and twodimensional(2D)characteristics of rock masses.The relationships among multi-dimensional representative elementary sizes are established.The representative elementary sizes reduce with the increase in the dimensions,and REA and REV can be deduced by REL.Therefore,the proposed method can quickly and simply determine REL and further estimate REA and REV,which considerably improves the efficiency of rock mass analysis.

Multi-domain equivalent method for prediction of elastic modulus of complex fractured rock mass

Reliable estimation of deformation and failure behaviors of fractured rock mass is important for practical engineering design.This study proposes a multi-domain equivalent method for fracture network to estimate the deformation properties of complex fractured rock mass.It comprehends both the advantages of the discrete fracture network model and the equivalent continuum model to capture the features of discontinuities explicitly while reducing computational intensity.The complex fracture network is stochastically split into a number of subfracture networks according to the domain,length or angle.An analytical solution is derived to infer theoretically the relationship between the elastic moduli of the original complex fractured rock mass and the split subfractured rock masses by introducing a correction term based on the deformation superposition principle.Numerical simulations are conducted to determine the elastic moduli of split subfractured rock masses using universal distinct element code(UDEC),while the elastic modulus of the original model is estimated based on the currently proposed analytical relationship.The results show that the estimation accuracy with the current domainbased splitting model is far superior compared to those with the other two splitting models.Thus,the estimation method of elastic modulus of complex fractured rock mass based on domain splitting mode of fracture network is identified as the multi-domain equivalent method proposed in this paper.The reliability of this method is evaluated,and its high computational efficiency is demonstrated through exemplification with regard to different geometric configurations for stochastically artificial discrete fracture network.The proposed multi-domain equivalent method constructs the theoretical framework except for the regression analysis hypothesis compared to the density-reduced model equivalent method.

Horizontal Well Interference Performance and Water Injection Huff and Puff Effect on Well Groups with Complex Fracture Networks:A Numerical Study

Well interference has become a common phenomenon with the increasing scale of horizontal well fracturing.Recent studies on well interference in horizontal wells do not properly reflect the physical model of the postfracturing well groups and the realistic fracturing process of infill wells.Establishing the correspondence between well interference causative factors and manifestations is of great significance for infill well deployment and secondary oil recovery.In this work,we develop a numerical model that considers low velocity non-Darcy seepage inshale reservoirs to study the inter-well interferencephenomenon that occurs in theSantanghufield,andconstruct an explicit hydraulic fracture and complex natural fracture network model with an embedded discrete fracture model,focusing on the effect of fracture network morphology on well interactions.The model also considers a multi-segment wellbore model to accommodate the effect of inter-well crossflow on wellbore tubular flow.The changes in formation pressure and water saturation during fracturing are performed by controlling the injection pressure and water injection rate.The result shows that the shape of the fracture network generated by the infill well with the old well determines the subsequent fluid and oil-increasing performance of the disturbed well.The synergistic production or competitive relationship formed by fractures with different connectivity between the two wells determines the positive and negative effects of the interference.The paper also investigates the adaptation study of water injection huff and puff schemes for well groups with different connectivity,and demonstrated a potential yield increase of up to 10.85%under adaptation injection.This method of identifying well interference based on the production dynamics of affected wells and the subsequent corresponding water injection method provides valuable references for the selection of secondary oil recovery measures.

Simulation of the Production Performances of Horizontal Wells with a Fractured Shale Gas Reservoir

The production performances of a well with a shale gas reservoir displaying a complex fracture network are simulated.In particular,a micro-seismic cloud diagram is used to describe the fracture network,and accordingly,a production model is introduced based on a multi-scale flow mechanism.A finite volume method is then exploited for the integration of the model equations.The effects of apparent permeability,conductivity,Langmuir volume,and bottom hole pressure on gas well production are studied accordingly.The simulation results show that ignoring the micro-scale flow mechanism of the shale gas leads to underestimating the well gas production.It is shown that after ten years of production,the cumulative gas production difference between the two scenarios with and without considering the micro-scale flow mechanisms is 19.5%.The greater the fracture conductivity,the higher the initial gas production of the gas well and the cumulative gas production.The larger the Langmuir volume,the higher the gas production rate and the cumulative gas production.With the reduction of the bottom hole pressure,the cumulative gas production increases,but the growth rate gradually decreases.