Modeling and Simulation of Natural Gas Production from Unconventional Shale Reservoirs

Modeling and simulation of unconventional reservoirs are much more complicated than the conventional reservoir modeling, because of their complex flow characteristics. Mechanisms, which control the flow in the reservoir, are still under the investigation of researchers. However, it is important to investigate applications of mechanisms which are present to our knowledge. This paper presents the theory and applications of flow mechanisms in unconventional reservoir modeling. It is a well-known fact that most of the reservoir flow problems are non-linear due to pressure dependency of particular parameters. It is also widely accepted that fully numerical solutions are costly both computational and time wise. Therefore, the presented model in this paper follows semi-analytical solution methods. Gas adsorption in unconventional reservoirs is the major pressure dependent mechanism;in addition existence of natural fractures is also taken considerable attention. This paper aims to investigate combined effect of existence of natural fractures gas adsorption, and gas slippage effect while keeping the computational effort in acceptable range. Unlike the existing literature (Langmuir is widely used), BET multi-layer isotherm employed in this paper for gas adsorption modeling. A modified dual porosity modeling is used for natural fracture and gas slippage effect modeling. For model verification purposes a history matched is performed with real field data from Marcellus shale. The proposed model in this paper shows a good agreement with the field data. It is observed that BET isotherm models early time production performance more accurately than Langmuir isotherm. It is also concluded that gas adsorption significantly improves the production performances of unconventional reservoirs, with natural fractures. In addition, gas slippage has a slight effect in long term production.

Eogenetic karst and its control on reservoirs in the Ordovician Majiagou Formation, eastern Sulige gas field, Ordos Basin, NW China

To further ascertain the origin of the Ordovician Majiagou Formation reservoirs in the Ordos Basin,the M54-M51 sub-members of the Ordovician Majiagou Formation in the eastern Sulige gasfield of Ordos Basin were taken as examples to analyze the vertical development characteristics of eogenetic karst and to discover the dissolution mechanism and its control on reservoirs through observation of a large number of cores and thin sections.According to detailed analysis of petrologic characteristics,the reservoir rock types include micritic dolomite,grain dolomite and microbialite which have mainly moldic pore,intergranular(dissolved)pore,and(dissolved)residual framework pore as main reservoir space respectively.The study area developed upward-shallowing sequences,with an exposure surface at the top of a single upward-shallowing sequence.The karst systems under the exposure surface had typical exposure characteristics of early dissolution and filling,indicating these reservoirs were related to the facies-controlled eogenetic karstification.With the increase of karstification intensity,the reservoirs became worse in physical properties.

Application of response surface methodology for optimization of purge gas recycling to an industrial reactor for conversion of CO_2 to methanol

Nowadays, by the increasing attention to environment and high rate of fuel production, recycling of purge gas as reactant to a reactor is highly considered. In this study, it is proposed that the purge gases of methanol production unit, which are approximately15.018 t·h^(-1) in the largest methanol production complexes in the world, can be recycled to the reactor and utilized for increasing the production rate. Purge gas streams contain 63% hydrogen,20% carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide as reactants and 17% nitrogen and methane as inert. The recycling effect of beneficial components on methanol production rate has been investigated in this study. Simulation results show that methanol production enhances by recycling just hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide which is an effective configuration among the others. It is named as Desired Recycle Configuration(DRC) in this study. The optimum fraction of returning purge gas is calculated via one dimensional modeling of process and Response Surface Methodology(RSM) is applied to maximize the methanol flow rate and minimize the carbon dioxide flow rate. Simulation results illustrate that methanol flow rate increases by 0.106% in DRC compared to Conventional Recycle Configuration(CRC) which therefore shows the superiority of applying DRC to CRC.

Applications of artificial intelligence in geothermal resource exploration: A review

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly important in geothermal exploration,significantly improving the efficiency of resource identification.This review examines current AI applications,focusing on the algorithms used,the challenges addressed,and the opportunities created.In addition,the review highlights the growth of machine learning applications in geothermal exploration over the past decade,demonstrating how AI has improved the analysis of subsurface data to identify potential resources.AI techniques such as neural networks,support vector machines,and decision trees are used to estimate subsurface temperatures,predict rock and fluid properties,and identify optimal drilling locations.In particular,neural networks are the most widely used technique,further contributing to improved exploration efficiency.However,the widespread adoption of AI in geothermal exploration is hindered by challenges,such as data accessibility,data quality,and the need for tailored data science training for industry professionals.Furthermore,the review emphasizes the importance of data engineering methodologies,data scaling,and standardization to enable the development of accurate and generalizable AI models for geothermal exploration.It is concluded that the integration of AI into geothermal exploration holds great promise for accelerating the development of geothermal energy resources.By effectively addressing key challenges and leveraging AI technologies,the geothermal industry can unlock cost‐effective and sustainable power generation opportunities.

Evolution of diagenetic fluid of ultra-deep Cretaceous Bashijiqike Formation in Kuqa depression

Diagenetic fluid types of the Cretaceous Bashijiqike formation are restored based on the analysis of petrographic,electron microprobe composition,inclusions homogenization temperature,salinity and vapor composition and laser carbon and oxygen isotope of diagenetic mineral,and regional geological background.Diagenetic fluid evolution sequence is analyzed on this basis.The crystalline dolomite cement has a low concerntration of Sr,high concerntration of Mn and higher carbon isotope,showing that the crystalline dolomite is affected by meteoric fresh water,associated with the tectonic uplift of late Cretaceous.Similarδ13CPDB,negative transfer ofδ18OPDB and the differentiation of the concerntration of Fe and Mn indicate that the diagenetic fluid of the vein dolomite cement is homologous with the diagenetic fluid of the crystalline dolomite cement,temperature and depth are the dominant factors of differential precipitation between these two carbonate cements.Anhydrite cements have high concerntration of Na,extremely low concerntration of Fe and Mn contents.Based on these data,anhydrite cements can be thought to be related to the alkaline fluid overlying gypsum-salt layer produced by dehydration.The barite vein has abnormally high concerntration of Sr,ultra-high homogenization temperature and high-density gas hydrocarbon inclusions,which is speculated to be the forward fluid by intrusion of late natural gas.Coexistence of methane inclusions with CO2 gas proves existence of acid water during the accumulation of natural gas in the late stages.Therefore,the alkaline environment and associated diagenesis between the meteoric fresh water in epidiagentic stage and carbonic acid in the late diagenesis have dominated the process of diagenesis and reservoir,the secondary porosity and fracture zone formed by gas accumulation is a favorable play for the exploration of ultra-deep reservoirs.

Control of paleogeographic pattern on sedimentary differentiation of evaporite-carbonate symbiotic system:A case study of the sixth sub-member of Ordovician Majiagou Formation M5 Member in central-eastern Ordos Basin,NW China

The relationship between paleogeographic pattern and sedimentary differentiation of evaporite-carbonate symbiotic system is examined based on logging,core and thin section data,by taking the sixth sub-member of fifth member of Ordovician Majiagou Formation(M56)in the central-eastern Ordos Basin as an example.(1)Seven sub-geomorphic units(Taolimiao west low,Taolimiao underwater high,Taolimiao east low,Hengshan high,East salt low,North slope and Southwest slope)developed in the study area.(2)The“three lows”from west to east developed dolomitic restricted lagoon,evaporite evaporative lagoon and salt evaporative lagoon sedimentary facies respectively,the"two highs"developed high-energy grain beach and microbial mound,and the north and south slopes developed dolomitic flats around land.(3)The paleogeographic pattern caused natural differentiation of replenishment seawater from the northwest Qilian sea,leading to the eccentric sedimentary differentiation of dolomite,evaporite and salt rock symbiotic system from west to east,which is different from the classic“bull's eye”and“tear drop”distribution patterns.(4)As the Middle Qilian block subducted and collided into the North China Plate,the far-end compression stress transferred,giving rise to the alternate highland and lowland in near north to south direction during the sedimentary period of M56 sub-member.(5)Taolimiao underwater high and Hengshan high developed favorable zones of microbial mounds and grain shoals in south to north strike in M56 sub-member,making them favorable exploration areas with great exploration potential in the future.

Implementation of a Petrographical and Petrophysical Workflow Protocol for Studying the Impact of Heterogeneity on the Rock Typing and Reservoir Quality of Reefal Limestone:A Case Study on the Nullipore Carbonates in the Gulf of Suez

This study focuses on the heterogeneity of the middle Miocene syn-rift Belayim nullipore(reefal)marine sequences in the Gulf of Suez and its impacts on reservoir quality.The sequences consist of coralline algal reef limestones with a highly complex dual-porosity system of primary and secondary porosities of widely varying percentages.To achieve a precise mathematical modeling of these reservoir sequences,a workflow protocol was applied to separate these sequences into a number of hydraulic flow units(HFUs)and reservoir rock types(RRTs).This has been achieved by conducting a conventional core analysis on the nullipore marine sequence.To illustrate the heterogeneity of the nullipore reservoir,the Dykstra-Parsons coefficient(V)has been estimated(V=0.91),indicating an extremely heterogeneous reservoir.A slight to high anisotropy(λ_(k))has been assigned for the studied nullipore sequences.A stratigraphic modified Lorenz plot(SMLP)was applied to define the optimum number of HFUs and barriers/baffles in each of the studied wells.Integrating the permeability-porosity,reservoir quality index-normalized porosity index(RQI-NPI)and the RQI-flow zone indicator(RQIFZI)plots,the discrete rock types(DRT)and the R35 techniques enable the discrimination of the reservoir sequences into 4 RRTs/HFUs.The RRT4 packstone samples are characterized by the best reservoir properties(moderate permeability anisotropy,with a good-to-fair reservoir quality index),whereas the RRT1 mudstone samples have the lowest flow and storage capacities,as well as the tightest reservoir quality.

Pore throat characteristics of tight sandstone of Yanchang Formation in eastern Gansu,Ordos Basin

An important factor to evaluate reservoir quality is the pore-throat size.However,the strong heterogeneity makes it difficult to characterize the pore-throat distribution in tight reservoirs.The field emission scanning electron microscope(FESEM),high pressure mercury injection and rate-controlled mercury injection are used to investigate the pore-throat size distribution in tight sandstone reservoirs of Member 7 of the Yanchang Formation in eastern Gansu,Ordos Basin,and studies of the pore throat size controlling on physical property of the tight sandstone reservoirs are also carried out.The result shows that the pore type is mainly dominated by the residual intergranular pore,dissolution pore,micropore and a few micro-fractures;the high-pressure mercury injection experiment indicates that the pore-throat size ranges from 0.0148 μm to 40mm,the pore throat more than 1 mm is less;the ratecontrolled mercury injection experiment reveals that for samples with different physical properties,the pore radius mainly varies from 80 μm to 350 μm;the throat radius exhibits the strong heterogeneity,and is from 0.12 μm to 30μm;the pore-throat size can be effectively characterized by combination of high-pressure and rate-controlled mercury injections,and it varies from 0.0148 μm to 350 μm.The permeability is mainly controlled by the large pore throat(>R_(50))which accounts for a small proportion;in the tight sandstone with the permeability greater than 0.1 mD,the permeability is mainly controlled by the micropore and mesopore;in the tight sandstone with the permeability smaller than 0.1 mD,the permeability is mainly controlled by the nanopore and micropore;the proportion of small pore throat increases with reduction of permeability,it is important that the small pore throat influences the reservoir storage property though its effect on permeability are small.

Pressure transient analysis for a fractured well in a stress-sensitive tight multi-medium oil reservoir

Tight multi-medium oil reservoirs are the main source of hydrocarbon resources around the world.Acid fracturing is the most effective technology to improve productivity in such reservoirs.As carbonates are primarily composed of dolomite and calcite,which are easily dissolved by hydrochloric acid,high-permeability region will be formed near the well along with the main artificial fracture when acid fracturing is implemented in tight multi-medium oil reservoirs.In this study,a comprehensive composite linear flow model was developed to simulate the transient pressure behavior of an acid fracturing vertical well in a naturally fractured vuggy carbonate reservoir.By utilizing Pedrosa's substitution,perturbation,Laplace transformation and Stehfest numerical inversion technol-ogy,the pressure behavior results were obtained in real time domain.Furthermore,the result of this model was validated by comparing with those of previous literature.Additionally,the influences of some prevailing parameters on the type curves were analyzed.Moreover,the proposed model was applied to an acid fracturing well to evaluate the effectiveness of acid fracturing measures,to demonstrate the practicability of the proposed model.