Optimization of Gas-Flooding Fracturing Development in Ultra-Low Permeability Reservoirs

Ultra-low permeability reservoirs are characterized by small pore throats and poor physical properties, which areat the root of well-known problems related to injection and production. In this study, a gas injection floodingapproach is analyzed in the framework of numerical simulations. In particular, the sequence and timing of fracturechanneling and the related impact on production are considered for horizontal wells with different fracturemorphologies. Useful data and information are provided about the regulation of gas channeling and possible strategiesto delay gas channeling and optimize the gas injection volume and fracture parameters. It is shown that inorder to mitigate gas channeling and ensure high production, fracture length on the sides can be controlled andlonger fractures can be created in the middle by which full gas flooding is obtained at the fracture location in themiddle of the horizontal well. A Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm is provided by which the gas injectionvolume and the fracture parameters of gas injection flooding can be optimized. It is shown that an improvedoil recovery factor as high as 6% can be obtained.

Experimental study of the influencing factors and mechanisms of the pressure-reduction and augmented injection effect by nanoparticles in ultra-low permeability reservoirs

Nanoparticles(NPs)have gained significant attention as a functional material due to their ability to effectively enhance pressure reduction in injection processes in ultra-low permeability reservoirs.NPs are typically studied in controlled laboratory conditions,and their behavior in real-world,complex environments such as ultra-low permeability reservoirs,is not well understood due to the limited scope of their applications.This study investigates the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of NPs in decreasing injection pressure under various injection conditions(25—85℃,10—25 MPa).The results reveal that under optimal injection conditions,NPs effectively reduce injection pressure by a maximum of 22.77%in core experiment.The pressure reduction rate is found to be positively correlated with oil saturation and permeability,and negatively correlated with temperature and salinity.Furthermore,particle image velocimetry(PIV)experiments(25℃,atmospheric pressure)indicate that the pressure reduction is achieved by NPs through the reduction of wall shear resistance and wettability change.This work has important implications for the design of water injection strategies in ultra-low permeability reservoirs.

Numerical study on gas production via a horizontal well from hydrate reservoirs with different slope angles in the South China Sea

It is important to study the effect of hydrate production on the physical and mechanical properties of low-permeability clayey–silty reservoirs for the largescale exploitation of hydrate reservoirs in the South China Sea.In this study,a multiphysical-field coupling model,combined with actual exploration drilling data and the mechanical experimental data of hydrate cores in the laboratory,was established to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of low-permeability reservoirs with different slope angles during 5-year hydrate production by the depressurization method via a horizontal well.The result shows that the permeability of reservoirs severely affects gas production rate,and the maximum gas production amount of a 20-m-long horizontal well can reach186.8 m3/day during the 5-year hydrate production.Reservoirs with smaller slope angles show higher gas production rates.The depressurization propagation and hydrate dissociation mainly develop along the direction parallel to the slope.Besides,the mean effective stress of reservoirs is concentrated in the near-wellbore area with the on-going hydrate production,and gradually decreases with the increase of the slope angle.Different from the effective stress distribution law,the total reservoir settlement amount first decreases and then increases with the increase of the slope angle.The maximum settlement of reservoirs with a 0°slope angle is up to 3.4 m,and the displacement in the near-wellbore area is as high as2.2 m after 5 years of hydrate production.It is concluded that the pore pressure drop region of low-permeability reservoirs in the South China Sea is limited,and various slope angles further lead to differences in effective stress and strain of reservoirs during hydrate production,resulting in severe uneven settlement of reservoirs.

Adaptability of Development Methods for Offshore Gas Cap Edge Water Reservoirs under Different Permeability Levels

The BZ 34-1 oilfield is a typical gas cap edge water reservoir in the Bohai oilfield. The main characteristics of the oilfield were multi-phase sand body stacking and the sand body was composed of three parts: gas cap, oil reservoir, and edge water. The actual production site results show that the permeability difference of multi-layer sand bodies has a serious impact on the development effect. This article establishes a typical reservoir model numerical model based on the total recovery degree of the reservoir and the recovery degree of each layer, and analyzes the impact of permeability gradient. As the permeability gradient increases, the total recovery degree of all four well patterns decreases, and the total recovery degree gradually decreases. The recovery degree of low permeability layers gradually decreases, and the recovery degree of high permeability layers gradually increases. As the permeability gradient increases, the degree of recovery gradually decreases under different water contents. As the permeability gradient increases, the reduction rate of remaining oil saturation in low permeability layers is slower, while the reduction rate of remaining oil saturation in high permeability layers was faster. By analyzing the impact of permeability gradient on the development effect of oil fields, we could further deepen our understanding of gas cap edge water reservoirs and guide the development of this type of oil field.

The control effect of low-amplitude structure on oil-gaswater enrichment and development performance of ultra-low permeability reservoirs

Based on drilling, logging, test production and dynamic monitoring data, the control effects of low-amplitude structure on hydrocarbon accumulation and development performance of ultra-low permeability reservoirs were discussed by using the methods of dense well pattern, multi-factor geological modeling, macro and micro analysis and static and dynamic analysis. The results show that the low-amplitude structure always had a significant control and influence on the distribution and accumulation of original hydrocarbon and water and the evolution trend of water flooding performance in ultra-low permeability reservoirs, and it was not only the direction of oil and gas migration, but also a favorable place for relative accumulation of oil and gas. The controlling effect of low-amplitude structure on ultra-low permeability reservoir mainly depended on its tectonic amplitude and scale;the larger the tectonic amplitude and scale, and the higher the tectonic position of the low amplitude structure, the better the reservoir characteristic parameters, oil and gas enrichment degree and development effect, and the larger the spatial scope it controlled and influenced;water cut and oil well output always fluctuated orderly with the height of the low-amplitude structure;the dynamic response of waterflooding was closely related to the relative structural position of the injection and production wells;the injected water always advanced to the low-lying area of the structure first and then moved up to the high-lying area of the structure gradually;with the continuous expansion of the flooded area, part of the oil and gas in the low-lying part of the structure was forced to be distributed to the high part of the structure, resulting in a new oil and gas enrichment, so that the dynamic reserves of oil wells in the high part increased, and the production capacity remained stable.

Profile improvement during CO_2 flooding in ultra-low permeability reservoirs

Gas flooding such as CO2 flooding may be effectively applied to ultra-low permeability reservoirs, but gas channeling is inevitable due to low viscosity and high mobility of gas and formation heterogeneity. In order to mitigate or prevent gas channeling, ethylenediamine is chosen for permeability profile control. The reaction mechanism of ethylenediamine with CO2, injection performance, swept volume, and enhanced oil recovery were systematically evaluated. The reaction product of ethylenediamine and CO2 was a white solid or a light yellow viscous liquid, which would mitigate or prevent gas channeling. Also, ethylenediamine could be easily injected into ultra-low permeability cores at high temperature with protective ethanol slugs. The core was swept by injection of 0.3 PV ethylenediamine. Oil displacement tests performed on heterogeneous models with closed fractures, oil recovery was significantly enhanced with injection of ethylenediamine. Experimental results showed that using ethylenediamine to plug high permeability layers would provide a new research idea for the gas injection in fractured, heterogeneous and ultra-low permeability reservoirs. This technology has the potential to be widely applied in oilfields.

The tectonic fracture modeling of an ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir based on an outcrop analogy: A case study in the Wangyao Oilfield of Ordos Basin, China

Due to inherent limits of data acquisition and geophysical data resolution, there are large uncertainties in the characterization of subsurface fractures. However, outcrop analogies can provide qualitative and quantitative information on a large number of fractures, based on which the accuracy of subsurface fracture characterization can be improved. Here we take the tectonic fracture modeling of an ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir based on an outcrop analogy, a case study of the Chang6t~ Formation of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Group of the Wangyao Oilfield in the Ordos Basin of China. An outcrop at the edge of the basin is a suitable analog for the reservoir, but the prerequisite is that they must have equivalent previous stress fields, similar final structural characteristics, relative timing and an identical depositional environment and diagenesis. The relationship among fracture density, rock type and bed thickness based on the outcrop is one of the most important fracture distribution models, and can be used to interpret fracture density in individual wells quantitatively. Fracture orientation, dip, geometry and scale, also should be described and measured in the outcrop, and can be used together with structure restoration and single well fracture density interpretation to guide fracture intensity prediction on bed surfaces and to constrain the construction of the 3D fracture geometry model of the subsurface reservoir. The application of the above principles shows the outcrop-based tectonic fracture models of the target ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir are consistent with fractures inferred from microseismic interpretation and tracer tests. This illustrated that the fracture modeling based on the outcrop analogy is reliable and can reduce the uncertainty in stochastic fracture modeling.

On the Development of an Effective Pressure Driving System for Ultra-Low Permeability Reservoirs

Given its relevance to the exploitation of ultra-low permeability reservoirs,which account for a substantial proportion of the world’s exploited and still unexploited reserves,in the present study the development of an adequate water injection system is considered.Due to the poor properties and weak seepage capacity of these reservoirs,the water injection pressure typically increases continuously during water flooding.In this research,the impact on such a process of factors as permeability,row spacing,and pressure gradient is evaluated experimentally using a high-pressure large-scale outcrop model.On this basis,a comprehensive evaluation coefficient is introduced able to account for the effective driving pressure.

Determination of microscopic waterflooding characteristics and influence factors in ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir

Actual sandstone micromodel was used in this work to conduct the microscopic waterflooding experiment of ultra-low sandstone reservoir,since the inside seepage characteristics of microscopic waterflooding process of Chang 8 ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir of Upper Triassic Yanchang formation in Huaqing region of the Ordos Basin,China is difficult to observe directly.Combined with physical property,casting thin sections,constant-rate mercury injection capillary pressure and nuclear magnetic resonance,the influence of reservoir property on the waterflooding characteristics in pores were analyzed and evaluated.Seepage paths of waterflooding characteristics were divided into four types:homogeneous seepage,reticular-homogeneous seepage,finger-reticular seepage and finger-like seepage,the waterflooding efficiency of which decreases in turn.More than 70%of residual oil occurs as flowing-around seepage and oil film.Physical property,pore structure and movable fluid characteristics are all controlled by digenesis and their impacts on waterflooding efficiency are in accordance.Generally,the pore throat radius size and distribution and movable fluid percentage are closely related to waterflooding law.

Method of moderate water injection and its application in ultra-low permeability oil reservoirs of Yanchang Oilfield, NW China

To explore the method of improving development effect and solving the problem of water breakthrough and water out for ultralow permeability fractured reservoirs, an indoor evaluation method of dynamic imbibition for fracture-matrix system was established taking the Chang 8 reservoir in southern Yanchang Oilfield as a research target. Key factors for the imbibition effect were obtained, an imbibition's rate expression was obtained, a model considering the double effects of imbibition-displacement was built and optimal injection and production parameters for the research area were obtained as well. The results show that an optimum displacement rate that maximizes the oil displacement efficiency exists in the water displacing oil process, and the optimal displacing rate becomes smaller as the permeability decreases. The imbibition displacement efficiency increases as the reservoir quality index and water wettability index of rock become bigger. But the larger the initial water saturation or oil-water viscosity ratio is, the smaller the imbibition displacement efficiency is. The optimal injection-production ratio for the Chang 8 reservoir of southern Yanchang Oilfield is 0.95, and the predicted recovery is 17.2% when the water cut is 95%, it is 2.9% higher than the recovery of conventional injection-production ratio 1.2. By using the moderate water injection technique based on the double effects of imbibition-displacement mechanism, the water injection development effect for the ultra-low permeability fractured reservoirs can be improved significantly.

A quantitative evaluation for well pattern adaptability in ultra-low permeability oil reservoirs:A case study of Triassic Chang 6 and Chang 8 reservoirs in Ordos Basin

Based on the previous studies and development practice in recent 10 years, a quantitative evaluation method for the adaptability of well patterns to ultra-low permeability reservoirs was established using cluster analysis and gray correlation method, and it includes 10 evaluation parameters in the four aspects of optimal evaluation parameters, determination of weights for evaluation parameters, development stage division, and determination of classification coefficients. This evaluation method was used to evaluate the well pattern adaptability of 13 main ultra-low permeability reservoirs in Triassic Chang 6 and Chang 8 of Ordos Basin. Three basic understandings were obtained: Firstly, the well pattern for ultra-low permeability type-I reservoirs has generally good adaptability, with proper well pattern forms and well pattern parameters. Secondly, square inverted nine-spot well pattern is suitable for reservoirs with no fractures; rhombic inverted nine-spot injection pattern is suitable for reservoirs with some fractures; and rectangular well pattern is suitable for reservoirs with rich fractures. Thirdly, for the ultra-low permeability type-Ⅱ and type-Ⅲ reservoirs, with the principles of well pattern form determination, the row spacing needs to be optimized further to improve the level of development of such reservoirs.

Imbibition mechanisms of high temperature resistant microemulsion system in ultra-low permeability and tight reservoirs

Lower-phase microemulsions with core-shell structure were prepared by microemulsion dilution method.The high temperature resistant systems were screened and the performance evaluation experiments were conducted to clarify the spontaneous imbibition mechanisms in ultra-low permeability and tight oil reservoirs,and to direct the field microfracture huff and puff test of oil well.The microemulsion system(O-ME)with cationic-nonionic surfactant as hydrophilic shell,No.3 white oil as oil phase core has the highest imbibition recovery;its spontaneous imbibition mechanisms include:the ultra-low interfacial tension and wettability reversal significantly reduce oil adhesion work to improve oil displacement efficiency,the nanoscale“core-shell structure”formed can easily enter micro-nano pores and throats to expand the swept volume,in addition,the remarkable effect of dispersing and solubilizing crude oil can improve the mobility of crude oil.Based on the experimental results,a microfracture huff and puff test of O-ME was carried out in Well YBD43-X506 of Shengli Oilfield.After being treated,the well had a significant increase of daily fluid production to 5 tons from 1.4 tons,and an increase of daily oil production to 2.7 tons from 1.0 ton before treatment.

Synchronous injection-production energy replenishment for a horizontal well in an ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir: A case study of Changqing oilfield in Ordos Basin, NW China

It is difficult to build an effective water flooding displacement pressure system in the middle section of a horizontal well in an ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir.To solve this problem,this study proposes to use packers,sealing cannula and other tools in the same horizontal well to inject water in some fractures and produce oil from other fractures.This new energy supplement method forms a segmental synchronous injection-production system in a horizontal well.The method can reduce the distance between the injection end and the production end,and quickly establish an effective displacement system.Changing the displacement between wells to displacement between horizontal well sections,and point water flooding to linear uniform water flooding,the method can enhance water sweeping volume and shorten waterflooding response period.The research shows that:(1)In the synchronous injection and production of horizontal well in an ultra-low-permeability sandstone reservoir,the water injection section should select the section where the natural fractures and artificial fractures are in the same direction or the section with no natural fractures,and the space between two sections should be 60?80 m.(2)In addition to controlling injection pressure,periodic water injection can be taken to reduce the risk of re-opening and growth of natural fractures or formation fracture caused by the gradual increase of water injection pressure with water injection going on.(3)Field tests have verified that this method can effectively improve the output of single well and achieve good economic benefits,so it can be widely used in the development of ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoirs.

Extensive application of rate transient method in performance analysis for low permeability gas reservoirs

Rate transient method is a recently-developed performance analysis tool specially designed for low-permeability or tight gas reservoirs. This method, theoretically based on pressure transient analysis, integrates material balance principle and the concept of material balance pseudo-time proposed by Blansingame. With daily production data of gas well, it could be used to calculate OGIP, current formation pressure, permeability, skin factor, to identify complex geologic boundaries, to determine whether drainage boundary has been reached, to calculate drainage area and drainage radius for single well and to predict performance. It has been extensively employed in more than ten low-permeability gas fields. It proves that most problems in performance analysis for low permeability gas reservoirs could be solved by this method. Field practices show great economical benefits could be achieved by employing this method in gas field development.

Advances in enhanced oil recovery technologies for low permeability reservoirs

Low permeability oil and gas resources are rich and have great potential all over the world, which has gradually become the main goal of oil and gas development. However, after traditional primary and secondary exploitation, there is still a large amount of remaining oil that has not been recovered.Therefore, in recent years, enhanced oil recovery(EOR) technologies for low permeability reservoirs have been greatly developed to further improve crude oil production. This study presents a comprehensive review of EOR technologies in low permeability reservoirs with an emphasis on gas flooding, surfactant flooding, nanofluid flooding and imbibition EOR technologies. In addition, two kinds of gel systems are introduced for conformance control in low permeability reservoirs with channeling problems. Finally,the technical challenges, directions and outlooks of EOR in low permeability reservoirs are addressed.

Feasibility of Gas Drive in Fang-48 Fault Block Oil Reservoir

The Fang-48 fault block oil reservoir is an extremely low permeability reservoir, and it is difficult to produce such a reservoir by waterflooding. Laboratory analysis of reservoir oil shows that the minimum miscibility pressure for CO2 drive in Fang-48 fault block oil reservoir is 29 MPa, lower than the formation fracture pressure of 34 MPa, so the displacement mechanism is miscible drive. The threshold pressure gradient for gas injection is less than that for waterflooding, and the recovery by gas drive is higher than waterflooding. Furthermore, the threshold pressure gradient for carbon dioxide injection is smaller than that for hydrocarbon gas, and the oil recovery by carbon dioxide drive is higher than that by hydrocarbon gas displacement, so carbon dioxide drive is recommended for the development of the Fang-48 fault block oil reservoir.

Sediment permeability change on natural gas hydrate dissociation induced by depressurization

The permeability of a natural gas hydrate reservoir is a critical parameter associated with gas hydrate production.Upon producing gas from a hydrate reservoir via depressurization,the permeability of sediments changes in two ways with hydrate dissociation,increasing with more pore space released from hydrate and decreasing due to pore compression by stronger effective stress related to depressurization.In order to study the evolution of sediment permeability during the production process with the depressurization method,an improved pore network model(PNM)method is developed to establish the permeability change model.In this model,permeability change induced by hydrate dissociation is investigated under hydrate occurrence morphology of pore filling and grain coating.The results obtained show that hydrate occurrence in sediment pore is with significant influence on permeability change.Within a reasonable degree of pore compression in field trial,the effect of pore space release on the reservoir permeability is greater than that of pore compression.The permeability of hydrate containing sediments keeps increasing in the course of gas production,no matter with what hydrate occurrence in sediment pore.

Development of the theory and technology for low permeability reservoirs in China

The development theories of low-permeability oil and gas reservoirs are refined, the key development technologies are summarized, and the prospect and technical direction of sustainable development are discussed based on the understanding and research on developed low-permeability oil and gas resources in China. The main achievements include:(1) the theories of low-permeability reservoir seepage, dual-medium seepage, relative homogeneity, etc.(2) the well location optimization technology combining favorable area of reservoir with gas-bearing prediction and combining pre-stack with post-stack;(3) oriented perforating multi-fracture, multistage sand adding, multistage temporary plugging, vertical well multilayer, horizontal and other fracturing techniques to improve productivity of single well;(4) the technology of increasing injection and keeping pressure, such as overall decreasing pressure, local pressurization, shaped charge stamping and plugging removal, fine separate injection, mild advanced water injection and so on;(5) enhanced recovery technology of optimization of injection-production well network in horizontal wells. To continue to develop low-permeability reserves economically and effectively, there are three aspects of work to be done well:(1) depending on technical improvement, continue to innovate new technologies and methods, establish a new mode of low quality reservoir development economically, determine the main technical boundaries and form replacement technology reserves of advanced development;(2) adhering to the management system of low cost technology & low cost, set up a complete set of low-cost dual integration innovation system through continuous innovation in technology and management;(3) striving for national preferential policies.

Numerical simulation-based correction of relative permeability hysteresis in water-invaded underground gas storage during multi-cycle injection and production

By conducting relative permeability experiments of multi-cycle gas-water displacement and imbibition on natural cores,we discuss relative permeability hysteresis effect in underground gas storage during multi-cycle injection and production.A correction method for relative permeability hysteresis in numerical simulation of water-invaded gas storage has been worked out using the Carlson and Killough models.A geologic model of water-invaded sandstone gas storage with medium-low permeability is built to investigate the impacts of relative permeability hysteresis on fluid distribution and production performance during multi-cycle injection and production of the gas storage.The study shows that relative permeability hysteresis effect occurs during high-speed injection and production in gas storage converted from water-invaded gas reservoir,and leads to increase of gas-water transition zone width and thickness,shrinkage of the area of high-efficiency gas storage,and decrease of the peak value variation of pore volume containing gas,and then reduces the storage capacity,working gas volume,and high-efficiency operation span of the gas storage.Numerical simulations exhibit large prediction errors of performance indexes if this hysteresis effect is not considered.Killough and Carlson methods can be used to correct the relative permeability hysteresis effect in water-invaded underground gas storage to improve the prediction accuracy.The Killough method has better adaptability to the example model.

Porosity Calculation of Tight Sand Gas Reservoirs with GA-CM Hybrid Optimization Log Interpretation Method

Tight sand gas reservoirs are our country’s fairly rich unconventional natural gas resources, and their exploration and development is of prime importance. Sulige Gas Field which located in the northern Ordos Basin is tight sand gas reservoirs. It is typically featured by low porosity and low permeability, and the error of porosity calculation by traditional methods is larger. Multicomponent explanation model is built by analyzing the thin slice data, and the objective function is got according to the concept of optimization log interpretation method. This paper puts the Genetic Algorithm and the Complex Algorithm together to form the GA-CM Hybrid Algorithm for searching the optimal solution of the objective function, getting the porosity of tight sandstone gas reservoirs. The deviation got by this method is lesser compared with the core porosity, with a high reliability.