Use of Coupled Reservoir and Geomechanical Modelling for Integrated Reservoir Analysis and Management

Settari, A.; Walters, D.A.; Behie, G.A.

doi:10.2118/2000-078

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Oil sands in the McMurray Formation have in-situ interlocked fabric configurations, previous experimental studies by Dusseault and Morgenstern (1978), Agar et al (1986), Kosar et al (1987), Oldakowski (1994), Scott et al (1994), Chalaturnyk (1996), Samieh and Wong (1996) and Touhidi-Baghini (1998) and numerical studies by Chalaturnyk (1996), Settari et al (2001), Li (2006), Du and Wong (2007) and Azad and Chalaturnyk (2011) have shown that geomechanics can play a significant role in the SAGD process. Thus, conventional simulation techniques may provide less than optimum results for the response of the reservoir and coupled geomechanical flow simulation should be considered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Determination of Equivalent Elastic Moduli for Coupled Geomechanical-Flow Simulation of SAGD

2011

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When characterizing stress sensitive reservoirs for reservoir performance prediction, considering flow simulation alone is insufficient; geomechanical and flow responses should be assessed concurrently. Geostatistical techniques are well developed and can be used to build heterogeneous models of reservoir properties as input to subsequent transfer functions such as flow and geomechanical simulators. In the case of conventional flow simulation, each geological realization consists of a structural model, facies model and petrophysical property models (porosity, permeability, saturation, etc.), which are used to solve the appropriate fluid flow equations. Rock mechanical properties play a similar role in geomechanical simulation as petrophysical properties play in fluid flow. Impact of heterogeneity consideration for geomechanical properties on coupled geomechanical flow simulation of SAGD process has been discussed by Khajeh et al. (2011) and they showed that to assess more accurate uncertainty analysis on flow and geomechanical responses of the SAGD process, considering realizations of the rock mechanical properties are required. The well documented Mechanical Earth Model (MEM) is a comprehensive geological model which can be used for coupled geomechanical-flow simulation of the SAGD process; however, homogenous rock mechanical properties are typically considered instead of stochastic models for computational reasons. The geomechanical response of a reservoir is sensitive to the values selected for geomechanical properties and it is practical to consider an equivalent homogeneous continuum such that geomechanical responses obtained from the homogenized model matches the geomechanical response of the truth (heterogeneous) model. Different analytical homogenization techniques are developed to determine equivalent elastic moduli (EEM), but the majority of these techniques consider specific configurations of facies and do not work well for complex spatial configurations such as the sand/shale sequences typical of the McMurray formation of Alberta-Canada. Considering sand geomechanical properties to be representative of the reservoir is a common approach. Moreover, a mixing rule averaging approach could also be used for determination of EEM. In this work, the accuracy of these various EEM methodologies are compared to EEM values obtained numerically by optimizing the geomechanical response of the reservoir. By knowing the vertical displacement profile (VDP) at the top of the reservoir for the fine scale (truth) model and the VDP's obtained from the listed techniques, the accuracy of considered EEM values is assessed. Sensitivity of change in VDP with respect to different operating conditions, type of elastic deformation and also spatial distribution of facies is examined.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Determination of Equivalent Elastic Moduli for Coupled Geomechanical-Flow Simulation of SAGD

2011

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“…The model, which couples a multiphase reservoir simulator with a 3-D finite element solution of deformations and stresses, has been used extensively for geomechanical studies of compaction, thermal operations and similar problems 8,9 . For the modeling of microseismicity, it is important to couple the fracture propagation both in terms of fluid flow and deformations (fracture opening), as shown in Fig.…”

Section: The Coupled Fracture Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Analysis and Prediction of Microseismicity in Fracturing by Coupled Geomechanical Modeling

Settari

Sullivan

Walters

et al. 2002

SPE Gas Technology Symposium

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TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractMicroseismic monitoring is widely used for mapping fractures but the fracture dimensions are only inferred from it. This paper presents a 3-D analysis to relate the seismic events and fracture geometry. The method is based on continuum geomechanical modeling and shows that the poroelastic as well as thermal stresses are the key to explaining the characteristic pattern of events recorded in the Cotton Valley waterfracs. The method provides a tool for relating the geometry of the fracture to the microseismic image. The analysis shows that events can occur ahead of fluid and also suggests possibility of recorded events far from the fracture.

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“…These effects usually become more pronounced at elevated pressures and are highly dependent on the in-situ conditions of the reservoir such as stress distribution, mechanical properties and fluid (water) mobility. Extensive research has been undertaken in the area of oilsands geomechanics for thermal recovery applications over the last few decades, including a field-scale experimental program at the AOSTRA's Underground Test Facility (Chalaturnyk, 1996) as well as comprehensive laboratory programs (Daussalt and Mogenstern, 1978;Kosar et al, 1987;Agar et al 1987;Oldakowski, 1994;Scott et al, 1994;Samieh and Wong, 1997;and Tohidi-Baghini, 1998), elaborate analytical modeling (Azad and Chalaturnyk 2010;Hosseini 2015) and numerical simulation studies (Tortike, 1991;Chalaturnyk, 1996;Settari and Mourits, 1998;Settari et al, 2001;Du and Wong, 2009;Li and Chalaturnyk, 2009;Azad and Chalaturnyk, 2011;Shen et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of Post-Abandonment Surface Deformation in SAGD Operations

Hosseini

Mostafavi

Bresee

2016

Day 2 Wed, June 08, 2016

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Steam-Assisted-Gravity-Drainage (SAGD) has been extensively applied in thermal recovery from oilsands reservoirs in the Athabasca region of Northern Alberta. As the steam chambers associated with SAGD well pairs become mature, a form of abandonment is often applied for pressure maintenance in the depleted zone. Quantification of potential surface subsidence associated with SAGD abandonment becomes critical especially when the mature wells are in proximity of future developments. In addition, induced shear stresses should also be estimated to fulfill well integrity requirements. In this case study, a coupled reservoir -geomechanical simulation model is developed, calibrated and utilized to estimate the magnitude of post-abandonment subsidence and the induced shear stresses in Surmont SAGD Pilot Project. In the context of this study, first, the development of a simplified 2D static geomechanical model using an original geomodel realization as well as geomechanical properties and stress profiles is discussed, which forms the basis for the coupled simulation model. The calibration workflow of the coupled reservoir-geomechanical simulation model to historical heave data is then reviewed and the impacts of different parameters on calibration quality is investigated. Finally, the estimation of subsidence and the induced shear stresses in the nearby wells is discussed, and the magnitude of residual heave is quantified. The results of this study show that only a fraction (up to 40%) of surface heave is reversible (in form of subsidence) during the abandonment phase. Therefore, the magnitude of the surface subsidence and the associated shear stresses are quite small. The modeling study has also shown that a small magnitude of subsidence may be recorded even 10 years after abandonment. However, more than 50% of the surface subsidence is observed in the first two years post-abandonment. Other important findings of this study includes (1) documenting the effects of thief zone interaction as it relates to irreversibility of surface heave; (2) documenting the impacts of various geomechanical parameters on the quality of calibration against the historical heave data; (3) observation of the relative impacts of the pressure and temperature fields on the magnitude of heave; and (4) quantification of incremental, yet small, shear stresses along the nearby horizontal wells.

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Use of Coupled Reservoir and Geomechanical Modelling for Integrated Reservoir Analysis and Management

Cited by 17 publications

References 5 publications

Determination of Equivalent Elastic Moduli for Coupled Geomechanical-Flow Simulation of SAGD

Determination of Equivalent Elastic Moduli for Coupled Geomechanical-Flow Simulation of SAGD

3D Analysis and Prediction of Microseismicity in Fracturing by Coupled Geomechanical Modeling

Investigation of Post-Abandonment Surface Deformation in SAGD Operations

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