Effect of fracture characteristics on history matching in the Qamchuqa reservoir: a case study from Iraq

Aljuboori, Faisal Awad; Lee, Jang Hyun; Elraies, Khaled Abdalla; Stephen, Karl Dunbar

doi:10.1007/s13146-020-00607-3

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Moreover, the outcrop data has provided invaluable data not only for deterministic fracture modelling but also for stochastic fracture modelling (e.g. [46]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fracture Conductivity Effect in DFN Modelling Using Carbonate Outcrop Data

Aljuboori,

Lee,

Elraies

et al. 2023

Unconventional Methods for Geoscience, Shale Gas and Petroleum in the 21st Century

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Synthetic well testing is an important tool which can be utilised to understand the fractures’ influence on flow behaviour. Different fracture sets have been used to identify the well performance and the conductivity of the fracture network. Five models were built using outcrop fracture data sets with similar statistical properties, and their flow performances were analysed using the well-test response to evaluate the outcrop-related uncertainties. The results of the aforementioned scenarios have shown remarkable differences in the pressure responses related to the degrees of fracture conductivity in each fracture set. This variation in the pressure response indicates that the higher fracture density may not necessarily result in a higher fracture conductivity. The fracture conductivity effect was further investigated using a scenario of a producer completed in a matrix block trapped within fractures. The results have referred that the distance to the fracture and the fracture conductivity have a considerable influence on the dual-porosity signature, which may mask the radial flow response of the matrix in the derivative plot when the fractures are very close. The outcome of this work can be used to understand the outcrop-related uncertainties as a pre-work of a full field fracture modelling and to calibrate the fracture conductivity at the well vicinity to improve the history matching. The results can also help in well-test interpretations when a similar pattern of pressure response is obtained from real well-test data.

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“…Moreover, the outcrop data has provided invaluable data not only for deterministic fracture modelling but also for stochastic fracture modelling (e.g. [46]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fracture Conductivity Effect in DFN Modelling Using Carbonate Outcrop Data

Aljuboori,

Lee,

Elraies

et al. 2023

Unconventional Methods for Geoscience, Shale Gas and Petroleum in the 21st Century

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“…In summary, the current methodology of estimating the reduction in fracture permeability due to closed apertures could be employed to improve the history matching process by adjusting the fracture permeability or to simulate the fluid flow behaviour in a producer when the fractures in the simulation model over-performed. Where the fracture permeability could be used as a calibrating parameter [17,36]. Moreover, the following Table 2 summarises the key differences between the current methodology and the previous approaches.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Contact Area and Fracture Surface Roughness on Fluid Flow in Fractured Reservoirs

Aljuboori,

Lee,

Elraies

et al. 2023

Unconventional Methods for Geoscience, Shale Gas and Petroleum in the 21st Century

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The estimation of effective fracture permeability depends mainly on the geometry of the void space between the fracture surfaces. Sometimes, these void spaces are closed partially or totally for various reasons, which create a contact area between the fracture surfaces. These contact areas cause the fluid to follow a tortuous path around them, which reduces the permeability magnitude notably. In this study, a digitised fracture network of a carbonate formation has been used to investigate the impact of contact areas and variable aperture width on the effective fracture permeability by using a discrete fracture networks approach. Moreover, a statistical analysis of a fracture width was used to build a stochastic aperture distribution to evaluate the fluid flow behaviour. Where, the properties of the aperture histogram are the only required parameters for the aperture modelling, in addition to several advantages in the current workflow compared with the former modelling approaches. The results were represented by a correction curve plotted based on the 3D simulation results, which can be used to evaluate the reduction factor in fracture permeability by considering the impact of contact areas in fractures. Furthermore, it can also be utilised for the history-matching process by calibrating the fracture permeability, hence fluid flow behaviour at the well region or the reservoir scale.

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“…In contrast, the rock matrix serves as the hydrocarbon source [2]. These reservoirs are well known for having poorer recoveries than their counterpart clastic reservoirs due to their production characteristics and geological heterogeneities [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Furthermore, the channeling and fingering of the injected fluid may be due to the complexity of the natural fracture networks [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the reservoir conditions, the immiscible or miscible gas injection might result in a successful EOR process [18]. However, gas injection might benefit these types of reservoirs if operated in the gas-assisted gravity drainage (GAGD) mode [6,10]. According to Silva and Maini, 2016 [19], the storage and transmissibility capacities, as well as the direction and intensity of the fracture, are the key features of the GAGD process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Influence of Fracture Networks on Gas-Based Enhanced Oil Recovery Methods

Kharrat,

Alalim,

Ott

2023

Energies

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Numerous reservoirs that play a significant role in worldwide petroleum production and reserves contain fractures. Typically, the fractures must form a connected network for a reservoir to be classified as naturally fractured. Characterizing the reservoir with a focus on its fracture network is crucial for modeling and predicting production performance. To simplify the solution, dual-continuum modeling techniques are commonly employed. However, to use continuum-scale approaches, properties such as the average aperture, permeability, and matrix fracture interaction parameters must be assigned, making it necessary to improve the fracture depiction and modeling methods. This study investigated a fractured reservoir with a low matrix permeability and a well-connected fracture network. The focus was on the impact of the hierarchical fracture network on the production performance of gas-based enhanced oil recovery methods. The discrete fracture network (DFN) model was utilized to create comprehensive two-dimensional models for three processes: gas injection (GI), water alternating gas (WAG), and foam-assisted water alternating gas (FAWAG). Moreover, dimensionless numbers were employed to establish connections between properties across the entire fracture hierarchy, spanning from minor to major fractures and encompassing the fracture intensity. The results indicate that the FAWAG process was more sensitive to fracture types and networks than the WAG and GI processes. Hence, the sensitivity of the individual EOR method to the fracture network requires a respective depth of description of the fracture network. However, other factors, such as reservoir fluid properties and fracture properties, might influence the recovery when the minor fracture networks are excluded. This study determined that among the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques examined, the significance of the hierarchical depth of fracture networks diminished as the ratio of major (primary fracture) aperture to the aperture of medium and minor fractures increased. Additionally, the impact of the assisted-gravity drainage method was greater with increased reservoir height; however, as the intensity ratio increased, the relative importance of the medium and minor fracture networks decreased.

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Effect of fracture characteristics on history matching in the Qamchuqa reservoir: a case study from Iraq

Cited by 7 publications

References 42 publications

Fracture Conductivity Effect in DFN Modelling Using Carbonate Outcrop Data

Fracture Conductivity Effect in DFN Modelling Using Carbonate Outcrop Data

The Impact of Contact Area and Fracture Surface Roughness on Fluid Flow in Fractured Reservoirs

Assessing the Influence of Fracture Networks on Gas-Based Enhanced Oil Recovery Methods

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