Assisted History-Matching for the Characterization and Recovery Optimization of Fractured Reservoirs Using Connectivity Analysis

Abstract

An integrated optimization workflow was developed to characterize seismic and sub-seismic fault networks from history-matching. A fractal model of fault networks is optimized via the gradual deformation of stochastic realizations of fault density maps, fault spatial and length distributions. In order to facilitate the history-matching, connectivity analysis tools were developed for characterizing wells-reservoir and well-to-well connectivity. Indeed these connectivity properties usually depend on the fault network realization and may be strongly correlated with the reservoir flow dynamics. Connectivity analyses were performed on a fractured reservoir model involving a five-spot well configuration with four injectors and one producer. The connectivity was estimated from shortest path algorithms applied on a graph representation of the reservoir model. Several reservoir simulations were performed for different fault network realizations to seek correlations between injector-producer connectivity and water breakthrough time. The impact of the fracture properties uncertainties on the wells-reservoir connectivity was estimated via the cumulated connected volume computed for each well. This connectivity measure provides a mean to characterize and classify fault network realizations. Correlations were found between the water breakthrough time and the injector-producer connectivity, thus allowing one to identify the most probable fault network realizations to match the observed water breakthrough time. Finally, for a given fault network realization, it is shown how the oil recovery can be optimized by correlating injectors rates with the injector-producer connectivity. A gain of 3.106 m3 in produced oil was obtained, while retarding the water breakthrough time by 16 years, compared with a case where all injectors have the same rate. The proposed methodology and tools facilitate the history-matching of fractured reservoir, providing consistent reservoir models that can be used for production forecast and optimization.

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