Waterflood Pattern Allocations: Quantifying the Injector to Producer Relationship with Streamline Simulation

Abstract

SPE Distinguished lecturer Anil Kumar states that industry wide injection wells are overlooked, neglected, and mismanaged. Historically, injection patterns have been described by neighboring producers. Production is allocated back to injectors using angle open to flow or volume and distance weighting methodology. These static allocation methods poorly represent the physics involved in determining flow paths in the reservoir between wells. Through the use of streamline simulation, Dynamic Injection Pattern Allocations accurately describe waterflood patterns through time. By quantifying the injector to producer relationship, inefficiencies in the waterflood are readily seen and the benefits of injection well work quantified. Waterflood injector rates can be set to maximize oil production, instead of maximizing water injection. This paper demonstrates how to use streamline simulation to proactively manage a waterflood. The paper focuses on three areas: 1) how streamline models require a different approach to simulation, 2) using streamlines to find inefficiencies in the waterflood and set injection targets, and 3) the benefits of a history matched model.

Notice of Retraction: Optimization of horizontal well length by streamline simulation

“…Finite difference method which applied widely cannot meet the needs such as high computational efficiency and being visually appealing. So the 3-D streamline simulation approach has been applied to simulation as complementary to finite difference simulation techniques [1]- [4].…”

Optimal Waterflood Management Under Geologic Uncertainty Using Rate Control: Theory and Field Applications

“…They didn't use a formal optimization procedure, but instead they used streamline flow visualization, allocation calculations, and the rapid turnaround of simulation runs to guide the engineer. They utilized allocation factors (Grinestaff 1999) as their primary criterion for optimal sweep. Thiele and Batycky (2006) provide a different measure of flood efficiency.…”

Maximizing volumetric sweep efficiency in waterfloods with hydrocarbon F–Φ curves

“…In recent years some methods of optimum rate control were introduced (Alhuthali et al, 2007;Asheim, 1998;Brouwer and Jensen, 2004;Brouwer et al, 2001;Grinestaff, 1999;Grinestaff and Cafferey, 2000;Sudaryanto and Yortsos, 2001). Brouwer et al (2001) studied the static optimization of waterflooding.…”

“…Both rate-and bottomhole pressure-constrained cases were studied in their work. Several authors used streamlines for waterflood optimization (Grinestaff, 1999;Grinestaff and Cafferey, 2000). In early streamline-based optimization studies, streamlines were solely used for flow visualization and allocation factor calculation.…”