The application study on the multi-scales integrated prediction method to fractured reservoir description

In this paper,we implement three scales of fracture integrated prediction study by classifying it to macro-（ 1/4/λ）,meso-（ 1/100λ and 1/4λ） and micro-（ 1/100λ） scales.Based on the multi-scales rock physics modelling technique,the seismic azimuthal anisotropy characteristic is analyzed for distinguishing the fractures of meso-scale.Furthermore,by integrating geological core fracture description,image well-logging fracture interpretation,seismic attributes macro-scale fracture prediction and core slice micro-scale fracture characterization,an comprehensive multi-scale fracture prediction methodology and technique workflow are proposed by using geology,well-logging and seismic multi-attributes.Firstly,utilizing the geology core slice observation（Fractures description） and image well-logging data interpretation results,the main governing factors of fracture development are obtained,and then the control factors of the development of regional macro-scale fractures are carried out via modelling of the tectonic stress field.For the meso-scale fracture description,the poststack geometric attributes are used to describe the macro-scale fracture as well,the prestack attenuation seismic attribute is used to predict the meso-scale fracture.Finally,by combining lithological statistic inversion with superposed results of faults,the relationship of the meso-scale fractures,lithology and faults can be reasonably interpreted and the cause of meso-scale fractures can be verified.The micro-scale fracture description is mainly implemented by using the electron microscope scanning of cores.Therefore,the development of fractures in reservoirs is assessed by valuating three classes of fracture prediction results.An integrated fracture prediction application to a real field in Sichuan basin,where limestone reservoir fractures developed,is implemented.The application results in the study area indicates that the proposed multi-scales integrated fracture prediction method and the technique procedureare able to deal with the strong heterogeneity and multi-scales problems in fracture prediction.Moreover,the multi-scale fracture prediction technique integrated with geology,well-logging and seismic multi-information can help improve the reservoir characterization and sweet-spots prediction for the fractured hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Borehole stability in naturally fractured reservoirs luring production tests

Based on the plane of weakness theory, a model for predicting borehole stability in fractured reservoirs under different stress states was estiblisted and the equations for solving borehole stability were developed. The minimum downhole pressures required to maintain borehole stability under different natural fracture occurrences were calculated by using the data from a well in the Tazhong （central Tarim） area, Tarim Basin, west China. Several conclusions were drawn for naturally fractured reservoirs with a dip angle from less than 10° to greater than 30°. Application in three wells in the Tazhong area indicates that this model is practically useful.

Modeling flow in naturally fractured reservoirs： effect of fracture aperture distribution on dominant sub-network for flow

Fracture network connectivity and aperture （or conductivity） distribution are two crucial features controlling flow behavior of naturally fractured reservoirs. The effect of connectivity on flow properties is well documented. In this paper, however, we focus here on the influence of fracture aperture distribution. We model a two dimensional fractured reservoir in which the matrix is impermeable and the fractures are well connected. The fractures obey a power-law length distribution, as observed in natural fracture networks. For the aperture distribution, since the information from subsurface fracture networks is limited, we test a number of cases： log-normal distributions （from narrow to broad）, power-law distributions （from narrow to broad）, and one case where the aperture is pro- portional to the fracture length. We find that even a well- connected fracture network can behave like a much sparser network when the aperture distribution is broad enough （c~ 〈 2 for power-law aperture distributions and σ ≥ 0.4 for log-normal aperture distributions）. Specifically, most fractures can be eliminated leaving the remaining dominant sub-network with 90% of the permeability of the original fracture network. We determine how broad the aperture distribution must be to approach this behavior and the dependence of the dominant sub-network on the parameters of the aperture distribution. We also explore whether one can identify the dominant sub-network without doing flow calculations.

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.

Anisotropic characteristics of electrical responses of fractured reservoir with multiple sets of fractures

In fractured reservoirs, the fractures not but also form the main flow channels which connect productivity of reservoirs. However, because of the only provide the storage space for hydrocarbons, the pores of the matrix, so fractures dominate the heterogeneity and randomness of the distribution of fractures, exploration and evaluation of fractured reservoirs is still one of the most difficult problems in the oil industry. In recent years, seismic anisotropy has been applied to the assessment of fractured formations, whereas electrical anisotropy which is more intense in fractured formations than seismic anisotropy has not been studied or used so extensively. In this study, fractured reservoir models which considered multiple sets of fractures with smooth and partly closed, rough surfaces were established based on the fractures and pore network, and the vertical and horizontal electrical resistivities were derived as a function of the matrix and fracture porosities according to Ohm＇s law. By using the anisotropic resistivity equations, variations of the electrical anisotropy of three types of fractured models under the conditions of free pressure and confining pressure were analyzed through the variations of the exerted pressure, matrix porosity, fracture aperture and formation water resistivity. The differences of the vertical and horizontal resistivities and the anisotropy between the connected and non-connected fractures were also analyzed. It is known from the simulated results that an increase of the confining pressure causes a decrease of electrical anisotropy because of the elasticity of the closed fractures and the decrease of the fracture aperture. For a fixed fracture porosity, the higher the matrix porosity, the weaker the electrical anisotropy in the rock formation.

Numerical simulation of high-resolution azimuthal resistivity laterolog response in fractured reservoirs

The high-resolution azimuthal resistivity laterolog response in a fractured formation was numerically simulated using a three-dimensional finite element method. Simulation results show that the azimuthal resistivity is determined by fracture dipping as well as dipping direction, while the amplitude differences between deep and shallow laterolog resistivities are mainly controlled by the former. A linear relationship exists between the corrected apparent conductivities and fracture aperture. With the same fracture aperture, the deep and shallow laterolog resistivities present small values with negative separations for low-angle fractures, while azimuthal resistivities have large variations with positive separations for high-angle fractures that intersect the borehole. For dipping fractures, the variation of the azimuthal resistivity becomes larger when the fracture aperture increases. In addition, for high-angle fractures far from the borehole, a negative separation between the deep and shallow resistivities exists when fracture aperture is large as well as high resistivity contrast exists between bedrock and fracture fluid. The decreasing amplitude of dual laterolog resistivity can indicate the aperture of low-angle fractures, and the variation of the deep azimuthal resistivity can give information of the aperture of high-angle fractures and their position relative to the borehole.

Structural failure mechanism and strengthening method of fracture plugging zone for lost circulation control in deep naturally fractured reservoirs

Focused on the lost circulation control in deep naturally fractured reservoirs, the multiscale structure of fracture plugging zone is proposed based on the theory of granular matter mechanics, and the structural failure pattern of plugging zone is developed to reveal the plugging zone failure mechanisms in deep, high temperature, high pressure, and high in-situ stress environment. Based on the fracture plugging zone strength model, key performance parameters are determined for the optimal selection of loss control material(LCM). Laboratory fracture plugging experiments with new LCM are carried out to evaluate the effect of the key performance parameters of LCM on fracture plugging quality. LCM selection strategy for fractured reservoirs is developed. The results show that the force chain formed by LCMs determines the pressure stabilization of macro-scale fracture plugging zone. Friction failure and shear failure are the two major failure patterns of fracture plugging zone. The strength of force chain depends on the performance of micro-scale LCM, and the LCM key performance parameters include particle size distribution, fiber aspect ratio, friction coefficient, compressive strength, soluble ability and high temperature resistance. Results of lab experiments and field test show that lost circulation control quality can be effectively improved with the optimal material selection based on the extracted key performance parameters of LCMs.

Data-Driven Model Falsification and Uncertainty Quantification for Fractured Reservoirs

Many properties of natural fractures are uncertain,such as their spatial distribution,petrophysical properties,and fluid flow performance.Bayesian theorem provides a framework to quantify the uncertainty in geological modeling and flow simulation,and hence to support reservoir performance predictions.The application of Bayesian methods to fractured reservoirs has mostly been limited to synthetic cases.In field applications,however,one of the main problems is that the Bayesian prior is falsified,because it fails to predict past reservoir production data.In this paper,we show how a global sensitivity analysis(GSA)can be used to identify why the prior is falsified.We then employ an approximate Bayesian computation(ABC)method combined with a tree-based surrogate model to match the production history.We apply these two approaches to a complex fractured oil and gas reservoir where all uncertainties are jointly considered,including the petrophysical properties,rock physics properties,fluid properties,discrete fracture parameters,and dynamics of pressure and transmissibility.We successfully identify several reasons for the falsification.The results show that the methods we propose are effective in quantifying uncertainty in the modeling and flow simulation of a fractured reservoir.The uncertainties of key parameters,such as fracture aperture and fault conductivity,are reduced.

A Numerical Modelling Method of Fractured Reservoirs with Embedded Meshes and Topological Fracture Projection Configurations

Projection-based embedded discrete fracture model(pEDFM)is an effective numerical model to handle the flow in fractured reservoirs,with high efficiency and strong generalization of flow models.However,this paper points out that pEDFM fails to handle flow barriers in most cases,and identifies the physical projection configuration of fractures is a key step in pEDFM.This paper presents and proves the equivalence theorem,which explains the geometric nature of physical projection configurations of fractures,that is,the projection configuration of a fracture being physical is equivalent to it being topologically homeomorphic to the fracture,by analyzing the essence of pEDFM.Physical projection configurations of fractures may be rigorously established based on this theorem,allowing pEDFM to obtain physical numerical results for many flow models,particularly those with flow barriers.Furthermore,a natural idea emerges of employing flow barriers to flexibly‘cut’the formation to quickly handle the flow problems in the formation with complex geological conditions,and several numerical examples are implemented to test this idea and application of the improved pEDFM.

Efficient production optimization for naturally fractured reservoir using EDFM

Naturally fractured reservoirs make important contributions to global oil and gas reserves and production.The modeling and simulation of naturally fractured reservoirs are different from conventional reservoirs as the existence of natural fractures.To address the development optimization problem of naturally fractured reservoirs,we propose an optimization workflow by coupling the optimization methods with the embedded discrete fracture model(EDFM).Firstly,the effective and superior performance of the workflow is verified based on the conceptual model.The stochastic simplex approximate gradient(StoSAG)algorithm,the ensemble optimization(EnOpt)algorithm,and the particle swarm optimization(PSO)algorithm are implemented for the production optimization of naturally fractured reservoirs based on the improved versions of the Egg model and the PUNQ-S3 model.The results of the two cases demonstrate the effectiveness of this optimization workflow by finding the optimal well controls which yield the maximum net present value(NPV).Compared to the initial well control guess,the final NPV obtained from the production optimization of fractured reservoirs based on all three optimization algorithms is significantly enhanced.Compared with the optimization results of the PSO algorithm,StoSAG and EnOpt have significant advantages in terms of final NPV and computational efficiency.The results also show that fractures have a significant impact on reservoir production.The economic efficiency of fractured reservoir development can be significantly improved by the optimization workflow.

A Method for Identifying Channeling Paths in Low-Permeability Fractured Reservoirs

Often oilfield fractured horizontal wells produce water flowing in multiple directions.In this study,a method to identify such channeling paths is developed.The dual-medium model is based on the principle of inter-well connectivity and considers the flow characteristics and related channeling terms.The Lorentz curve is drawn to qualitatively discern the geological type of the low-permeability fractured reservoir and determine the channeling direction and size.The practical application of such an approach to a sample oilfield shows that it can accurately identify the channeling paths of the considered low-permeability fractured reservoir and predict production performances according to the inter-well connectivity model.As a result,early detection of water channeling becomes possible,paving the way to real-time production system optimization in low-permeability fractured reservoirs.

Experiments on imbibition mechanisms of fractured reservoirs by microfluidic chips

To solve the problems of long experiment period and difficult measurement in core imbibition experiments,fracture-matrix microfluidic chips of different sizes,boundary conditions and wettability regulated by surface property modification were designed to research the imbibition mechanisms of oil-water,oil-surfactant solution and oil-WinsorⅢtype surfactant solution.In the oil-water,and oil-wettability modification system imbibition process,oil was replaced from the matrix through Haines jump,the capillary back pressure was the main resistance blocking the flow of oil,the reduction of interfacial tension caused the weakening of Haines jump,reduction of oil discharge rate,and increase of oil recovery.The imbibition of oil-water or oil-surfactant solution with low interfacial tension was a counter-current imbibition process dominated by capillary force,in which all boundaries had similar contribution to imbibition,and the recovery data obtained from this experiment fit well with the classic imbibition scaling equation.The imbibition of oil and Winsor III type surfactant solution was a co-current imbibition process dominated by gravity under super-low interfacial tension,and is essentially the formation and re-balance of neutral microemulsion.The imbibition dynamics obtained from this experiment fit well with the modified imbibition scaling equation.

A Review of the Dynamic Modeling Approaches for Characterizing Fluid Flow in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

Fluid flow in fractured media has been studied for decades and received considerable attention in the oil and gas industry because of the high productivity of naturally fractured reservoirs.Due to formation complexity and reservoir heterogeneity,characterizing fluid flow with an appropriate reservoir model presents a challenging task that differs relatively from homogeneous conventional reservoirs in many aspects of view,including geological,petrophysical,production,and economics.In most fractured reservoirs,fracture networks create complex pathways that affect hydrocarbon flow,well performance,hence reservoir characterization.A better and comprehensive understanding of the available reservoir modeling approaches is much needed to accurately characterize fluid flow behavior in NFRs.Therefore,in this paper,a perspective review of the available modeling approaches was presented for fluid flow characterization in naturally fractured medium.Modeling methods were evaluated in terms of their description,application,advantages,and disadvantages.This study has also included the applications of these reservoir models in fluid flow characterizing studies and governing equations for fluid flow.Dual continuum models were proved to be better than single continuum models in the presence of large scale fractures.In comparison,discrete models were more appropriate for reservoirs that contain a smaller number of fractures.However,hybrid modeling was the best method to provide accurate and scalable fluid flow modeling.It is our understanding that this paper will bridge the gap between the fundamental understanding and application of NFRs modeling approaches and serve as a useful reference for engineers and researchers for present and future applications.

Prediction of oil recovery in naturally fractured reservoirs subjected to reinfiltration during gravity drainage using a new scaling equation

By comparing numerical simulation results of single-porosity and dual-porosity models,the significant effect of reinfiltration to naturally fractured reservoirs was confirmed.A new governing equation was proposed for oil drainage in a matrix block under the reinfiltration process.Utilizing inspectional analysis,a dimensionless equation suitable for scaling of recovery curves for matrix blocks under reinfiltration has been obtained.By the design of experiments,test cases with different rock and fluid properties were defined to confirm the scope of the presented equation.The defined cases were simulated using a realistic numerical simulation approach.This method can estimate the oil amount getting into the matrix block through reinfiltration,help simulate the oil drainage process in naturally fractured reservoirs accurately,and predict the recovery rate of matrix block in the early to middle periods of production.Using the defined scaling equation in the dual-porosity model can improve the accuracy of the predicted recovery rate.

Field Scale Simulation Study of Miscible Water Alternating CO₂Injection Process in Fractured Reservoirs

Vast amounts of world oil reservoirs are in natural fractured reservoirs. There are different methods for increasing recovery from fractured reservoirs. Miscible injection of water alternating CO2?is a good choice among EOR methods. In this method, water and CO2?slugs are injected alternatively in reservoir as miscible agent into reservoir. This paper studies water injection scenario and miscible injection of water and CO2?in a two dimensional, inhomogeneous fractured reservoir. The results show that miscible water alternating CO2?gas injection leads to 3.95% increase in final oil recovery and total water production decrease of 3.89% comparing to water injection scenario.

A Simulation Approach for Screening of EOR Scenarios in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

Undoubtedly, plenty of hydrocarbon sources are located in carbonate rocks, particularly those which are naturally fractured that is still needed to study their characterization, because of their complex and unconventional behavior. Therefore, applying any processes that cause Enhancing Oil Recovery (EOR) from Naturally Fractured Reservoirs (NFR) seems necessary and useful. However, selecting the best developed scenario is always challenging. Screening criteria would determine the possibility of implementing an EOR process. While, utilizing trade marketing simulators can solve this problem. Moreover, simulation can evaluate other parameters such as water cut and gas-oil ratio. In this research, an aquifer-supported Iranian NFR with two parts that are separated to each other with a shale layer is considered in order to select the best EOR scenario. The fluid model is created using PVTi software. Various production scenarios included natural depletion, water flooding, miscible carbon dioxide injection, water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection, simultaneous water- alternating-gas (SWAG) injection, hybrid injection, and gas recycling are simulated in ECLIPSE Compositional (E300) and their recovery factor recorded as the target parameter. The developed scenarios are designed in a way that gives the optimized results, i.e. higher recovery factor, less water cut as well as the less gas-oil ratio. As a result, SWAG shows better conditions and is recommended for the further studies of the reservoir management plan in the future. Also, the role of the aquifer in the SWAG scenario is positive by creating a natural WAG in addition to the SWAG. Additionally, the average reservoir pressure through fractures reduces less in the SWAG than the other Scenarios, the oil and gas production rate reduce less in the SWAG and SWAG/ miscible gas respectively than the other scenarios. The maximum and the minimum water cut are related to the water flooding and SWAG, respectively.Finally, the simulation approach of EOR screening in NFR is better than other approaches, from the perspective of economic issues as well as the simplicity of the methods.

The Impact of Deformable Surrounding Rocks on Naturally-Fractured Reservoir Simulation

For the case of a fractured reservoir surrounded by deformable rocks, the appropriateness and applicability of the two common methods of coupling of flow and deformation, explicit (coupled) and implicit (uncoupled) methods are investigated. The explicit formulation is capable of modelling surrounding media;while the implicit coupling is unable to do so as deformation vector does not appear as a primary variable in the formulation. The governing differential equations and the finite element approximation of the governing equations for each of the methods are presented. Spatial discretization is achieved using the Galerkin method, and temporal discretisation using the finite difference technique. In the explicit model, coupling between flow and deformation is captured through volumetric strain compatibility amongst the phases within the system. In the implicit model, this is achieved by defining the pore space storativity as a function of the formation compressibility and the compressibility of the fluid phases within the pore space. The impact of rock deformability on early, intermediate and late time responses of fractured reservoir is investigated through several numerical examples. Salient features of each formulation are discussed and highlighted. It is shown that the implicit model is unable to capture the constraining effects of a non-yielding, surrounding rock, leading to incorrect projections of reservoir production irrespective of the history matching strategy adopted.

Experimental Investigation on Condensate Revaporization During Gas Injection Development in Fractured Gas Condensate Reservoirs

The gas field in the Bohai Bay Basin is a fractured metamorphic buried-hill reservoir with dual-media characteristics. The retrograde vaporization mechanism observed in this type of gas condensate reservoir differs significantly from that observed in sand gas condensate reservoirs. However, studies on improving the recovery of fractured gas condensate reservoirs are limited;thus, the impact of retrograde vaporization on condensate within fractured metamorphic buried-hill reservoirs remains unclear. To address this gap, a series of gas injection experiments are conducted in pressure-volume-temperature(PVT) cells and long-cores to investigate the retrograde vaporization effect of condensate using different gas injection media in fractured gas condensate reservoirs. We analyze the variation in condensate volume, gas-to-oil ratio, and condensate recovery during gas injection and examine the influence of various gas injection media(CO_(2), N_(2), and dry gas) under different reservoir properties and varying gas injection times. The results demonstrate that the exchange of components between injected gas and condensate significantly influences condensate retrograde vaporization in the formation. Compared with dry gas injection and N_(2) injection,CO_(2) injection exhibits a superior retrograde vaporization effect. At a CO_(2) injection volume of 1 PV, the percentage shrinkage volume of condensate is 13.82%. Additionally, at the maximum retrograde condensation pressure, CO_(2) injection can increase the recovery of condensate by 22.4%. However, the condensate recovery is notably lower in fractured gas condensate reservoirs than in homogeneous reservoirs, owing to the creation of dominant gas channeling by fractures, which leads to decreased condensate recovery. Regarding gas injection timing, the effect of gas injection at reservoir pressure on improving condensate recovery is superior to that of gas injection at the maximum retrograde condensation pressure. This research provides valuable guidance for designing gas injection development plans and dynamic tracking adjustments for fractured gas condensate reservoirs.

Evaluation of Well Spacing for Primary Development of Fractured Horizontal Wells in Tight Sandstone Gas Reservoirs

Methods for horizontal well spacing calculation in tight gas reservoirs are still adversely affected by the complexity of related control factors,such as strong reservoir heterogeneity and seepage mechanisms.In this study,the stress sensitivity and threshold pressure gradient of various types of reservoirs are quantitatively evaluated through reservoir seepage experiments.On the basis of these experiments,a numerical simulation model(based on the special seepage mechanism)and an inverse dynamic reserve algorithm(with different equivalent drainage areas)were developed.The well spacing ranges of Classes I,II,and III wells in the Q gas field are determined to be 802–1,000,600–662,and 285–400 m,respectively,with their average ranges as 901,631,and 342.5 m,respectively.By considering both the pairs of parallel well groups and series well groups as examples,the reliability of the calculation results is verified.It is shown that the combination of the two models can reduce errors and provide accurate results.

A multi-mechanism numerical simulation model for CO_(2)-EOR and storage in fractured shale oil reservoirs

Under the policy background and advocacy of carbon capture,utilization,and storage(CCUS),CO_(2)-EOR has become a promising direction in the shale oil reservoir industry.The multi-scale pore structure distribution and fracture structure lead to complex multiphase flow,comprehensively considering multiple mechanisms is crucial for development and CO_(2) storage in fractured shale reservoirs.In this paper,a multi-mechanism coupled model is developed by MATLAB.Compared to the traditional Eclipse300 and MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox(MRST),this model considers the impact of pore structure on fluid phase behavior by the modified Peng—Robinson equation of state(PR-EOS),and the effect simultaneously radiate to Maxwell—Stefan(M—S)diffusion,stress sensitivity,the nano-confinement(NC)effect.Moreover,a modified embedded discrete fracture model(EDFM)is used to model the complex fractures,which optimizes connection types and half-transmissibility calculation approaches between non-neighboring connections(NNCs).The full implicit equation adopts the finite volume method(FVM)and Newton—Raphson iteration for discretization and solution.The model verification with the Eclipse300 and MRST is satisfactory.The results show that the interaction between the mechanisms significantly affects the production performance and storage characteristics.The effect of molecular diffusion may be overestimated in oil-dominated(liquid-dominated)shale reservoirs.The well spacing and injection gas rate are the most crucial factors affecting the production by sensitivity analysis.Moreover,the potential gas invasion risk is mentioned.This model provides a reliable theoretical basis for CO_(2)-EOR and sequestration in shale oil reservoirs.