Numerical Simulation of Liquid-Solid Coupling in Multi-Angle Fractures in Pressure-Sensitive Reservoirs

This study clarifies the seepage characteristics of complex fractured pressure-sensitive reservoirs,and addresses a common technological problem,that is the alteration of the permeability degree of the reservoir bed(known to be responsible for changes in the direction and velocity of fluid flows between wells).On the basis of a new pressuresensitive equation that considers the fracture directional pressure-sensitive effect,an oil-gas-water three-phase seepage mathematical model is introduced,which can be applied to pressure-sensitive,full-tensor permeability,ultralow-permeability reservoirs with fracture-induced anisotropy.Accordingly,numerical simulations are conducted to explore the seepage laws for ultralow-permeability reservoirs.The results show that element patterns have the highest recovery percentage under a fracture angle of 45°.Accounting for the pressure-sensitive effect produces a decrease in the recovery percentage.Several patterns are considered:inverted five-seven-and nine-spot patterns and a cross-row well pattern.Finally,two strategies are introduced to counteract the rotation of the direction of the principal permeability due to the fracture directional pressure-sensitive effect.

A pressure-sensitive rheological origin of high friction angles of granular matter observed in NASA–MGM project

An abnormally high peak friction angle of Ottawa sand was observed in(National Aeronautics and Space Administration) NASA–(Mechanics of Granular Materials) MGM tests in microgravity conditions on the space shuttle. Previous investigations have been unsuccessful in providing a constitutive insight into this behavior of granular materials under extremely low effective stress conditions. Here, a recently proposed unified constitutive model for transient rheological behavior of sand and other granular materials is adopted for the analytical assessment of high peak friction angles. For the first time, this long-eluded behavior of sand is attributed to a hidden rheological transition mechanism, that is not only rate-sensitive, but also pressure-sensitive. The NASA–MGM microgravity conditions show that shear-tests of sand can be performed under abnormally low confining stress conditions. The pressure-sensitive behavior of granular shearing that is previously ignored is studied based on the μ(I) rheology and its variations. Comparisons between the model and the NASA microgravity tests demonstrate a high degree of agreement. The research is highly valid for pressure-sensitive and rate-dependent problems that occur during earthquakes, landslides, and space exploration.

The asymptotic field of mode Ⅰ quasi-static crack growth on the interface between a rigid and a pressure-sensitive material

A mechanical model of the quasi-static interface of a mode I crack between a rigid and a pressure-sensitive viscoelastic material was established to investigate the mechanical characteristic of ship-building engineering hi-materials. In the stable growth stage, stress and strain have the same singularity, ie （σ, ε） ∝ r^-1/（n-1）. The variable-separable asymptotic solutions of stress and strain at the crack tip were obtained by adopting Airy＇s stress function and the numerical results of stress and strain in the crack-tip field were obtained by the shooting method. The results showed that the near-tip fields are mainly governed by the power-hardening exponent n and the Poisson ratio v of the pressure-sensitive material. The fracture criterion of mode I quasi-static crack growth in pressure-sensitive materials, according to the asymptotic analyses of the crack-tip field, can be viewed from the perspective of strain.

Pressure-sensitive plasticity of lithiated silicon in Li-ion batteries

Lithiation-induced plasticity is a key factor that enables Si electrodes to maintain long cycle life in Li-ion batteries. We study the plasticity of various lithiated sili-con phases based on first-principles calculations and iden-tify the linear dependence of the equivalent yield stress on the hydrostatic pressure. Such dependence may cause the compression-tension asymmetry in an amorphous Si thin film electrode from a lithiation to delithiation cycle, and leads to subsequent ratcheting of the electrode after cyclic lithiation. We propose a yield criterion of amorphous lithi-ated silicon that includes the effects of the hydrostatic stress and the lithiation reaction. We further examine the micro-scopic mechanism of deformation in lithiated silicon under mechanical load, which is attributed to the flow-defects mediated local bond switching and cavitation. Hydrostatic compression confines the flow defects thus effectively strength-ens the amorphous structure, and vice versa.

A review of reservoir damage during hydraulic fracturing of deep and ultra-deep reservoirs

Deep and ultra-deep reservoirs have gradually become the primary focus of hydrocarbon exploration as a result of a series of significant discoveries in deep hydrocarbon exploration worldwide.These reservoirs present unique challenges due to their deep burial depth(4500-8882 m),low matrix permeability,complex crustal stress conditions,high temperature and pressure(HTHP,150-200℃,105-155 MPa),coupled with high salinity of formation water.Consequently,the costs associated with their exploitation and development are exceptionally high.In deep and ultra-deep reservoirs,hydraulic fracturing is commonly used to achieve high and stable production.During hydraulic fracturing,a substantial volume of fluid is injected into the reservoir.However,statistical analysis reveals that the flowback rate is typically less than 30%,leaving the majority of the fluid trapped within the reservoir.Therefore,hydraulic fracturing in deep reservoirs not only enhances the reservoir permeability by creating artificial fractures but also damages reservoirs due to the fracturing fluids involved.The challenging“three-high”environment of a deep reservoir,characterized by high temperature,high pressure,and high salinity,exacerbates conventional forms of damage,including water sensitivity,retention of fracturing fluids,rock creep,and proppant breakage.In addition,specific damage mechanisms come into play,such as fracturing fluid decomposition at elevated temperatures and proppant diagenetic reactions at HTHP conditions.Presently,the foremost concern in deep oil and gas development lies in effectively assessing the damage inflicted on these reservoirs by hydraulic fracturing,comprehending the underlying mechanisms,and selecting appropriate solutions.It's noteworthy that the majority of existing studies on reservoir damage primarily focus on conventional reservoirs,with limited attention given to deep reservoirs and a lack of systematic summaries.In light of this,our approach entails initially summarizing the current knowledge pertaining to the types of fracturing fluids employed in deep and ultra-deep reservoirs.Subsequently,we delve into a systematic examination of the damage processes and mechanisms caused by fracturing fluids within the context of hydraulic fracturing in deep reservoirs,taking into account the unique reservoir characteristics of high temperature,high pressure,and high in-situ stress.In addition,we provide an overview of research progress related to high-temperature deep reservoir fracturing fluid and the damage of aqueous fracturing fluids to rock matrix,both artificial and natural fractures,and sand-packed fractures.We conclude by offering a summary of current research advancements and future directions,which hold significant potential for facilitating the efficient development of deep oil and gas reservoirs while effectively mitigating reservoir damage.

Geostatistical seismic inversion and 3D modelling of metric flow units,porosity and permeability in Brazilian presalt reservoir

Flow units(FU)rock typing is a common technique for characterizing reservoir flow behavior,producing reliable porosity and permeability estimation even in complex geological settings.However,the lateral extrapolation of FU away from the well into the whole reservoir grid is commonly a difficult task and using the seismic data as constraints is rarely a subject of study.This paper proposes a workflow to generate numerous possible 3D volumes of flow units,porosity and permeability below the seismic resolution limit,respecting the available seismic data at larger scales.The methodology is used in the Mero Field,a Brazilian presalt carbonate reservoir located in the Santos Basin,who presents a complex and heterogenic geological setting with different sedimentological processes and diagenetic history.We generated metric flow units using the conventional core analysis and transposed to the well log data.Then,given a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm,the seismic data and the well log statistics,we simulated acoustic impedance,decametric flow units(DFU),metric flow units(MFU),porosity and permeability volumes in the metric scale.The aim is to estimate a minimum amount of MFU able to calculate realistic scenarios porosity and permeability scenarios,without losing the seismic lateral control.In other words,every porosity and permeability volume simulated produces a synthetic seismic that match the real seismic of the area,even in the metric scale.The achieved 3D results represent a high-resolution fluid flow reservoir modelling considering the lateral control of the seismic during the process and can be directly incorporated in the dynamic characterization workflow.

Element Analysis of Instrumented Sharp Indentations into Pressure-sensitive Materials

Finite element analysis was carried out to investigate the conical indentation response of elastic-plastic solids within the framework of the hydrostatic pressure dependence and the power law strain hardening. A large number of 40 difierent combinations of elasto-plastic properties with n ranging from 0 to 0.5 and σy/E ranging from 0.0014 to 0.03 were used in the computations. The loading curvature C and the average contact pressure Pave were considered within the concept of representative strains and the dimensional analysis.Dimensionless functions associated with these two parameters were formulated for each studied value of the pressure sensitivity. The results for pressure sensitive materials lie between those for Von Mises materials and the elastic model.

Evaluating reservoir suitability for large-scale hydrogen storage:A preliminary assessment considering reservoir properties

With rising demand for clean energy,global focus turns to finding ideal sites for large-scale underground hydrogen storage(UHS)in depleted petroleum reservoirs.A thorough preliminary reservoir evaluation before hydrogen(H_(2))injection is crucial for UHS success and safety.Recent criteria for UHS often emphasize economics and chemistry,neglecting key reservoir attributes.This study introduces a comprehensive framework for the reservoir-scale preliminary assessment,specifically tailored for long-term H_(2) storage within depleted gas reservoirs.The evaluation criteria encompass critical components,including reservoir geometry,petrophysical properties,tectonics,and formation fluids.To illustrate the practical application of this approach,we assess the Barnett shale play reservoir parameters.The assessment unfolds through three key stages:(1)A systematic evaluation of the reservoir's properties against our comprehensive screening criteria determines its suitability for H_(2) storage.(2)Using both homogeneous and multilayered gas reservoir models,we explore the feasibility and efficiency of H_(2) storage.This phase involves an in-depth examination of reservoir behavior during the injection stage.(3)To enhance understanding of UHS performance,sensitivity analyses investigate the impact of varying reservoir dimensions and injection/production pressures.The findings reveal the following:(a)Despite potential challenges associated with reservoir compaction and aquifer support,the reservoir exhibits substantial promise as an H_(2) storage site.(b)Notably,a pronounced increase in reservoir pressure manifests during the injection stage,particularly in homogeneous reservoirs.(c)Furthermore,optimizing injection-extraction cycle efficiency can be achieved by augmenting reservoir dimensions while maintaining a consistent thickness.To ensure a smooth transition to implementation,further comprehensive investigations are advised,including experimental and numerical studies to address injectivity concerns and explore storage site development.This evaluation framework is a valuable tool for assessing the potential of depleted gas reservoirs for large-scale hydrogen storage,advancing global eco-friendly energy systems.

Reservoir heterogeneity analysis using multi-directional textural attributes from deep learning-based enhanced acoustic impedance inversion:A study from Poseidon,NW shelf Australia

Reservoir heterogeneities play a crucial role in governing reservoir performance and management.Traditionally,detailed and inter-well heterogeneity analyses are commonly performed by mapping seismic facies change in the seismic data,which is a time-intensive task.Many researchers have utilized a robust Grey-level co-occurrence matrix(GLCM)-based texture attributes to map reservoir heterogeneity.However,these attributes take seismic data as input and might not be sensitive to lateral lithology variation.To incorporate the lithology information,we have developed an innovative impedance-based texture approach using GLCM workflow by integrating 3D acoustic impedance volume(a rock propertybased attribute)obtained from a deep convolution network-based impedance inversion.Our proposed workflow is anticipated to be more sensitive toward mapping lateral changes than the conventional amplitude-based texture approach,wherein seismic data is used as input.To evaluate the improvement,we applied the proposed workflow to the full-stack 3D seismic data from the Poseidon field,NW-shelf,Australia.This study demonstrates that a better demarcation of reservoir gas sands with improved lateral continuity is achievable with the presented approach compared to the conventional approach.In addition,we assess the implication of multi-stage faulting on facies distribution for effective reservoir characterization.This study also suggests a well-bounded potential reservoir facies distribution along the parallel fault lines.Thus,the proposed approach provides an efficient strategy by integrating the impedance information with texture attributes to improve the inference on reservoir heterogeneity,which can serve as a promising tool for identifying potential reservoir zones for both production benefits and fluid storage.

Projecting Spring Consecutive Rainfall Events in the Three Gorges Reservoir Based on Triple-Nested Dynamical Downscaling

Spring consecutive rainfall events(CREs) are key triggers of geological hazards in the Three Gorges Reservoir area(TGR), China. However, previous projections of CREs based on the direct outputs of global climate models(GCMs) are subject to considerable uncertainties, largely caused by their coarse resolution. This study applies a triple-nested WRF(Weather Research and Forecasting) model dynamical downscaling, driven by a GCM, MIROC6(Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate, version 6), to improve the historical simulation and reduce the uncertainties in the future projection of CREs in the TGR. Results indicate that WRF has better performances in reproducing the observed rainfall in terms of the daily probability distribution, monthly evolution and duration of rainfall events, demonstrating the ability of WRF in simulating CREs. Thus, the triple-nested WRF is applied to project the future changes of CREs under the middle-of-the-road and fossil-fueled development scenarios. It is indicated that light and moderate rainfall and the duration of continuous rainfall spells will decrease in the TGR, leading to a decrease in the frequency of CREs. Meanwhile, the duration, rainfall amount, and intensity of CREs is projected to regional increase in the central-west TGR. These results are inconsistent with the raw projection of MIROC6. Observational diagnosis implies that CREs are mainly contributed by the vertical moisture advection. Such a synoptic contribution is captured well by WRF, which is not the case in MIROC6,indicating larger uncertainties in the CREs projected by MIROC6.

Thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical responses of a reservoir-induced landslide tracked by high-resolution fiber optic sensing nerves

Thermo-poro-mechanical responses along sliding zone/surface have been extensively studied.However,it has not been recognized that the potential contribution of other crucial engineering geological interfaces beyond the slip surface to progressive failure.Here,we aim to investigate the subsurface multiphysics of reservoir landslides under two extreme hydrologic conditions(i.e.wet and dry),particularly within sliding masses.Based on ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating(UWFBG)technology,we employ specialpurpose fiber optic sensing cables that can be implanted into boreholes as“nerves of the Earth”to collect data on soil temperature,water content,pore water pressure,and strain.The Xinpu landslide in the middle reach of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area in China was selected as a case study to establish a paradigm for in situ thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical monitoring.These UWFBG-based sensing cables were vertically buried in a 31 m-deep borehole at the foot of the landslide,with a resolution of 1 m except for the pressure sensor.We reported field measurements covering the period 2021 and 2022 and produced the spatiotemporal profiles throughout the borehole.Results show that wet years are more likely to motivate landslide motions than dry years.The annual thermally active layer of the landslide has a critical depth of roughly 9 m and might move downward in warmer years.The dynamic groundwater table is located at depths of 9e15 m,where the peaked strain undergoes a periodical response of leap and withdrawal to annual hydrometeorological cycles.These interface behaviors may support the interpretation of the contribution of reservoir regulation to slope stability,allowing us to correlate them to local damage events and potential global destabilization.This paper also offers a natural framework for interpreting thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical signatures from creeping reservoir bank slopes,which may form the basis for a landslide monitoring and early warning system.

Centrifuge modeling of unreinforced and multi-row stabilizing piles reinforced landslides subjected to reservoir water level fluctuation

With the construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir dam,frequent reservoir landslide events have been recorded.In recent years,multi-row stabilizing piles(MRSPs)have been used to stabilize massive reservoir landslides in China.In this study,two centrifuge model tests were carried out to study the unreinforced and MRSP-reinforced slopes subjected to reservoir water level(RWL)operation,using the Taping landslide as a prototype.The results indicate that the RWL rising can provide lateral support within the submerged zone and then produce the inward seepage force,eventually strengthening the slope stability.However,a rapid RWL drawdown may induce outward seepage forces and a sudden debuttressing effect,consequently reducing the effective soil normal stress and triggering partial pre-failure within the RWL fluctuation zone.Furthermore,partial deformation and subsequent soil structure damage generate excess pore water pressures,ultimately leading to the overall failure of the reservoir landslide.This study also reveals that a rapid increase in the downslope driving force due to RWL drawdown significantly intensifies the lateral earth pressures exerted on the MRSPs.Conversely,the MRSPs possess a considerable reinforcement effect on the reservoir landslide,transforming the overall failure into a partial deformation and failure situated above and in front of the MRSPs.The mechanical transfer behavior observed in the MRSPs demonstrates a progressive alteration in relation to RWL fluctuations.As the RWL rises,the mechanical states among MRSPs exhibit a growing imbalance.The shear force transfer factor(i.e.the ratio of shear forces on pile of the n th row to that of the first row)increases significantly with the RWL drawdown.This indicates that the mechanical states among MRSPs tend toward an enhanced equilibrium.The insights gained from this study contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the failure mechanisms of reservoir landslides and the mechanical behavior of MRSPs in reservoir banks.

Roles of the ocular pressure, pressure-sensitive ion channel, and elasticity in pressure-induced retinal diseases

The intraocular pressure inside the human eye maintains 10–21 mmHg above the atmospheric pressure.Elevation of intraocular pressure is highly correlated with the retinopathy in glaucoma,and changes in the exterior pressure during mountain hiking,air traveling,and diving may also induce vision decline and retinopathy.The pathophysiological mechanism of these pressure-induced retinal disorders has not been completely clear.Retinal neurons express pressure-sensitive channels intrinsically sensitive to pressure and membrane stretch,such as the transient receptor potential channel(TRP)family permeable to Ca^2+and Na^+and the two-pore domain K channel family.Recent data have shown that pressure excites the primate retinal bipolar cell by opening TRP vanilloid 4 to mediate transient depolarizing currents,and TRP vanilloid 4 agonists enhance the membrane excitability of primate retinal ganglion cells.The eyeball wall is constructed primarily by the sclera and cornea of low elasticity,and the flow rate of the aqueous humor and intraocular pressure both fluctuate,but the mathematical relationship between the ocular elasticity,aqueous humor volume,and intraocular pressure has not been established.This review will briefly review recent literature on the pressure-related retinal pathophysiology in glaucoma and other pressure-induced retinal disorders,the elasticity of ocular tissues,and pressure-sensitive cation channels in retinal neurons.Emerging data support the global volume and the elasticity and thickness of the sclera and cornea as variables to affect the intraocular pressure level like the volume of the aqueous humor.Recent results also suggest some potential routes for TRPs to mediate retinal ganglion cell dysfunction:TRP opening upon intraocular pressure elevation and membrane stretch,enhancing glutamate release from bipolar cells,increasing intracellular Na^+,Ca^2+concentration in retinal ganglion cells and extracellular glutamate concentration,inactivating voltage-gated Na^+channels,and causing excitotoxicity and dysfunction of retinal ganglion cells.Further studies on these routes likely identify novel targets and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of pressure-induced retinal disorders.

Thermally-induced cracking behaviors of coal reservoirs subjected to cryogenic liquid nitrogen shock

The benefits of using cryogenic liquid nitrogen shock to enhance coal permeability have been confirmed from experimental perspectives.In this paper,we develop a fully coupled thermo-elastic model in combination with the strain-based isotropic damage theory to uncover the cooling-dominated cracking behaviors through three typical cases,i.e.coal reservoirs containing a wellbore,a primary fracture,and a natural fracture network,respectively.The progressive cracking processes,from thermal fracture initiation,propagation or cessation,deflection,bifurcation to multi-fracture interactions,can be well captured by the numerical model.It is observed that two hierarchical levels of thermal fractures are formed,in which the number of shorter thermal fractures consistently exceeds that of the longer ones.The effects of coal properties related to thermal stress levels and thermal diffusivity on the fracture morphology are quantified by the fracture fractal dimension and the statistical fracture number.The induced fracture morphology is most sensitive to changes in the elastic modulus and thermal expansion coefficient,both of which dominate the complexity of the fracture networks.Coal reservoir candidates with preferred thermal-mechanical properties are also recommended for improving the stimulation effect.Further findings are that there exists a critical injection temperature and a critical in-situ stress difference,above which no thermal fractures would be formed.Preexisting natural fractures with higher density and preferred orientations are also essential for the formation of complex fracture networks.The obtained results can provide some theoretical support for cryogenic fracturing design in coal reservoirs.

Time series prediction of reservoir bank landslide failure probability considering the spatial variability of soil properties

Historically,landslides have been the primary type of geological disaster worldwide.Generally,the stability of reservoir banks is primarily affected by rainfall and reservoir water level fluctuations.Moreover,the stability of reservoir banks changes with the long-term dynamics of external disastercausing factors.Thus,assessing the time-varying reliability of reservoir landslides remains a challenge.In this paper,a machine learning(ML)based approach is proposed to analyze the long-term reliability of reservoir bank landslides in spatially variable soils through time series prediction.This study systematically investigated the prediction performances of three ML algorithms,i.e.multilayer perceptron(MLP),convolutional neural network(CNN),and long short-term memory(LSTM).Additionally,the effects of the data quantity and data ratio on the predictive power of deep learning models are considered.The results show that all three ML models can accurately depict the changes in the time-varying failure probability of reservoir landslides.The CNN model outperforms both the MLP and LSTM models in predicting the failure probability.Furthermore,selecting the right data ratio can improve the prediction accuracy of the failure probability obtained by ML models.

An experimental study on horizontal well waterflooding in the Cretaceous porous carbonate reservoir of Oman

Porous carbonate reservoirs,prevalent in the Middle East,are lithologically dominated by bioclastic limestones,exhibiting high porosity,low permeability,intricate pore structure,and strong heterogeneity.Waterflooding through horizontal wells is commonly used for exploiting these reservoirs.However,challenges persist,such as significant uncertainty and complex operational procedures regarding adjustment effects during the exploitation.The USH reservoir of the Cretaceous D oilfield,Oman exemplifies typical porous carbonate reservoirs.It initially underwent depletion drive using vertical wells,followed by horizontal well waterflooding in the late stage.Currently,the oilfield is confronted with substantial developmental challenges,involving the understanding of residual oil distribution,effective water cut control,and sustaining oil production since it has entered the late development stage.Employing a microscopic visualization displacement system equipped with electrodes,this study elucidated the waterflooding mechanisms and residual oil distribution in the late-stage development of the USH reservoir.The results reveal that the reservoir's vertical stacking patterns act as the main factor affecting the horizontal well waterflooding efficacy.Distinct water flow channels emerge under varying reservoir stacking patterns,with post-waterflooding residual oil predominantly distributed at the reservoir's top and bottom.The oil recovery can be enhanced by adjusting the waterflooding's flow line and intensity.The findings of this study will provide theoretical insights of waterflooding mechanisms and injection-production adjustments for exploiting other porous carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East through horizontal wells.

Reactive transport modeling constraints on the complex genesis of a lacustrine dolomite reservoir:A case from the Eocene Qaidam Basin,China

Reactive transport modeling(RTM)is an emerging method used to address geological issues in diagenesis research.However,the extrapolation of RTM results to practical reservoir prediction is not sufficiently understood.This paper presents a case study of the Eocene Qaidam Basin that combines RTM results with petrological and mineralogical evidence.The results show that the Eocene Xiaganchaigou Formation is characterized by mixed siliciclastic-carbonate-evaporite sedimentation in a semiclosed saline lacustrine environment.Periodic evaporation and salinization processes during the syngeneticpenecontemporaneous stage gave rise to the replacive genesis of dolomites and the cyclic enrichment of dolomite in the middle-upper parts of the meter-scale depositional sequences.The successive change in mineral paragenesis from terrigenous clastics to carbonates to evaporites was reconstructed using RTM simulations.Parametric uncertainty analyses further suggest that the evaporation intensity(brine salinity)and particle size of sediments(reactive surface area)were important rate-determining factors in the dolomitization,as shown by the relatively higher reaction rates under conditions of higher brine salinity and fine-grained sediments.Combining the simulation results with measured mineralogical and reservoir physical property data indicates that the preservation of original intergranular pores and the generation of porosity via replacive dolomitization were the major formation mechanisms of the distinctive lacustrine dolomite reservoirs(widespread submicron intercrystalline micropores)in the Eocene Qaidam Basin.The results confirm that RTM can be effectively used in geological studies,can provide a better general understanding of the dolomitizing fluid-rock interactions,and can shed light on the spatiotemporal evolution of mineralogy and porosity during dolomitization and the formation of lacustrine dolomite reservoirs.

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.

Reservoir quality evaluation of the Narimba Formation in Bass Basin,Australia:Implications from petrophysical analysis,sedimentological features,capillary pressure and wetting fluid saturation

The evaluation of reservoir quality was accomplished on the Late Paleocene to Early Eocene Narimba Formation in Bass Basin,Australia.This study involved combination methods such as petrophysical analysis,petrography and sedimentological studies,reservoir quality and fluid flow units from derivative parameters,and capillary pressure and wetting fluid saturation relationship.Textural and diagenetic features are affecting the reservoir quality.Cementation,compaction,and presence of clay minerals such as kaolinite are found to reduce the quality while dissolution and secondary porosity are noticed to improve it.It is believed that the Narimba Formation is a potential reservoir with a wide range of porosity and permeability.Porosity ranges from 3.1%to 25.4%with a mean of 15.84%,while permeability ranges between 0.01 mD and 510 mD,with a mean of 31.05 mD.Based on the heterogenous lithology,the formation has been categorized into five groups based on permeability variations.Group I showed an excellent to good quality reservoir with coarse grains.The impacts of both textural and diagenetic features improve the reservoir and producing higher reservoir quality index(RQI)and flow zone indicators(FZI)as well as mostly mega pores.The non-wetting fluid migration has the higher possibility to flow in the formation while displacement pressure recorded as zero.Group II showed a fair quality reservoir with lower petrophysical properties in macro pores.The irreducible water saturation is increasing while the textural and digenetic properties are still enhancing the reservoir quality.Group III reflects lower quality reservoir with mostly macro pores and higher displacement pressure.It may indicate smaller grain size and increasing amount of cement and clay minerals.Group IV,and V are interpreted as a poor-quality reservoir that has lower RQI and FZI.The textural and digenetic features are negatively affecting the reservoir and are leading to smaller pore size and pore throat radii(r35)values to be within the range of macro,meso-,micro-,and nano pores.The capillary displacement pressure curves of the three groups show increases reaching the maximum value of 400 psia in group V.Agreement with the classification of permeability,r35 values,and pore type can be used in identifying the quality of reservoir.

Progress and prospects of EOR technology in deep,massive sandstone reservoirs with a strong bottom-water drive

The Triassic massive sandstone reservoir in the Tahe oilfield has a strong bottom-water drive and is characterized by great burial depth,high temperature and salinity,a thin pay zone,and strong heterogeneity.At present,the water-cut is high in each block within the reservoir;some wells are at an ultrahigh water-cut stage.A lack of effective measures to control water-cut rise and stabilize oil production have necessitated the application of enhanced oil recovery(EOR)technology.This paper investigates the development and technological advances for oil reservoirs with strong edge/bottom-water drive globally,and compares their application to reservoirs with characteristics similar to the Tahe oilfield.Among the technological advances,gas injection from the top and along the direction of structural dip has been used to optimize the flow field in a typical bottom-water drive reservoir.Bottom-water coning is restrained by gas injection-assisted water control.In addition,increasing the lateral driving pressure differential improves the plane sweep efficiency which enhances oil recovery in turn.Gas injection technology in combination with technological measures like channeling prevention and blocking,and water plugging and profile control,can achieve better results in reservoir development.Gas flooding tests in the Tahe oilfield are of great significance to identifying which EOR technology is the most effective and has the potential of large-scale application for improving development of deep reservoirs with a strong bottomwater drive.