Numerical Study of Transport of Injected and Reservoir Water in Fractured Reservoirs During Steam Stimulation

Geshelin, Boris; Grabowski, Janusz; Pease, Eric

doi:10.2523/10322-ms

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The validity of the model was demonstrated by matching the numerical solution developed by Lesser et al 2 The works described above involved mostly analytical models. Geshelin et al 4 presented a unique numerical study on the transport of reservoir water through fractures induced during the steam simulation of tar sands and heavy oil deposits. The heat was assumed to be transferred from the fracture to the matrix by convection and conduction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conversion of the geological model (fine-mesh) to a dynamic (coarse-mesh) hydrocarbon model with the nature approach in the simulation of thermal recovery in a fractured reservoir

Foroozanfar

Rasaei

2019

SIMULATION

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The operation and proper management of reservoirs requires the prediction of reservoir performance. This prediction is generally done by computer simulation. Since simulation software generates static models in the number of millions and even billions, dynamic simulation on these models is difficult and sometimes impossible; therefore, multi-scale block generation is necessary. In this study, we introduce a methodology that was inspired by Earth’s pattern to generate multi-scale grids on a multi-phase, heterogeneous reservoir, where the enhanced oil recovery process is steam injection. From a reservoir engineer’s point of view, Earth is equivalent to a multi-scale grid model that could be a pattern for multi-scale grid generation in a hydrocarbon reservoir to minimize central processing unit time for dynamic simulation. The principle of multi-scale grid generation in hydrocarbon reservoirs is as follows: regions with a high Darcy’s velocity should be fine-scale and other segments with low intensity of heterogeneity regions could resize into the up-scale. The intersection of latitude and longitude lines means that Earth’s model could be a practical pattern for dynamic simulation. This intersection creates segments with fine-size blocks, like the South and North Poles, that are equal to the injection and production wells in the reservoir model and other segments that have different intensities of coarse-size blocks. Earth’s magnetic field, which enters from South and exits from the North Pole, leads us to could consider Earth as a hydrocarbon model. The results of the multi-scale grid generation method, which was inspired by Earth’s pattern, were compared with the fine-mesh (geological) model; the results show that the proposed method predicts with high accuracy and less run-time compared with the fine-mesh model.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conversion of the geological model (fine-mesh) to a dynamic (coarse-mesh) hydrocarbon model with the nature approach in the simulation of thermal recovery in a fractured reservoir

Foroozanfar

Rasaei

2019

SIMULATION

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Source Distributed Fracture Model for the Numerical Modelling of Oil Sands Steam Stimulation

Geshelin¹,

Grabowski²

1982

SPE Reservoir Simulation Symposium

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This paper describes a source distributed dynamic fracture model. The model, coupled with the thermal simulator ISCOM, was used to investigate oil sand reservoir performance during steam stimulation.The source distributed fracture model developed is based on the following assumptions: The fracture can propagate through a given path of adjacent reservoir blocks, creating a fracture channel within a reservoir. The number of fracture channels and reservoir geometry are not restricted. The position of a fracture or microfracture system inside a given reservoir block is not defined -the fracture is represented as an effective source of fluid and heat transferred to the block. Fracture volume is disregarded. The mass and heat balances are solved exactly for each fracture channel. Fractures can be operational only during the injection period. Fracture opening and closure are governed by calculated values of opening, propagation and closure pressures. Effective absolute permeability ~nd conductivity inside a drainage area are treated as adjustable parameters.Results of this investigation show that reservoir performance is strongly affected by the variation of effective fracture parameters, References and illustrations at end of paDer. 249 especially changes in effective fracture conductivity in the vicinity of a wellbore and the mobile and connate water saturations.

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Reservoir Simulation of Cyclic Steam Stimulation in the Cold Lake Oil Sands

Beattie

Boberg

Mcnab

1989

SPE California Regional Meeting

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The Cold Lake reservoir is an unconsolidated sand containing extremely viscous bitumen. Steam injectivity during cyclic steam stimulation can be achieved only by injecting at pressures high enough to mechanically fail the formation. Simulation of the complex fracturing and reservoir deformation behavior that results is very challenging. In addition, the reservoir exhibits water-oil relative permeability hysteresis, which must also be properly modeled. This paper describes enhancements made to a thermal reservoir simulator to incorporate these Cold Lake physics. Rigorous geomechanical modeling is not economical, so an empirical approach has been developed that is consistent with the behavior of unconsolidated sands. Fracturing is modeled by allowing the permeability in a plane of gridblocks to increase rapidly when the pressure exceeds a specified fracture pressure. Reservoir deformation in all blocks is modeled by first allowing dilation, during which porosity increases when the pressure exceeds a specified failure pressure. Subsequent pressure decline causes the reservoir to recompact, and porosity decreases. However, recompaction is not the reverse of dilation, and a fraction of the total dilation is permanent. While all gridblocks have similar deformation properties, the history of each individual block plays a role in determining its exact behavior. This geomechanical representation allows the simulator to match field observations that are otherwise difficult to reproduce, including injection pressures, flowback times, and production pressures. Also, the model appropriately handles the recompaction process which provides drive energy in the Cold Lake reservoir. The water-oil relative permeability hysteresis model is based upon laboratory measurements. Bounding imbibition and drainage curves are input; gridblock relative permeabilities, which depend upon both saturation and saturation history, are determined such that calculated values always lie on or between the bounding curves. The hysteresis model makes it possible to use laboratory-derived relative permeabilities when simulating cyclic steam stimulation and still match field water-oil ratios.

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Numerical Study of Transport of Injected and Reservoir Water in Fractured Reservoirs During Steam Stimulation

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Conversion of the geological model (fine-mesh) to a dynamic (coarse-mesh) hydrocarbon model with the nature approach in the simulation of thermal recovery in a fractured reservoir

Conversion of the geological model (fine-mesh) to a dynamic (coarse-mesh) hydrocarbon model with the nature approach in the simulation of thermal recovery in a fractured reservoir

Source Distributed Fracture Model for the Numerical Modelling of Oil Sands Steam Stimulation

Reservoir Simulation of Cyclic Steam Stimulation in the Cold Lake Oil Sands

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