Published by the DTI Oil & Gas Directorate for the reservoir engineering and IOR community in the UK.
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Improved Simulation of Fractured and Faulted Reservoirs

This is a proposal provisionally approved for funding by the Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF). This is a three-year project in collaboration with Prof. Blunt and Dr. Matthai at Imperial College, Dr. Archer at Texas A&M University and Drs. Batycky and Thiele at Streamsim Technologies Inc.

Methods for improved simulation and characterisation of fractured and faulted reservoirs will be developed. A state-of-the-art finite-element code will be optimised for the simulation of multiphase flow and deformation for reservoir models with discrete fracture representations. Novel techniques for generating unstructured grids, solving the governing equations and transporting fluid will be applied. Geologically realistic models of a range of common fault and fracture geometries will be used to compute appropriate upscaled flow parameters for full-field simulation. These average properties will be used in a commercially available streamline-based simulator with a generalised dual porosity formulation. All upscaled properties, such as matrix-fracture transfer, will be based on physically and geologically realistic fracture simulations. The different simulation approaches will be compared with each other and to conventional simulation results to validate the approach.

2D simulations of flow in discrete interconnected fractures with a central production well in plan view. Shown is the oil saturation after 1 day of production at a rate of 10 m³ per day. Oil saturation is shown in rainbow colour shading (red =0.9, blue=0.0). Vectors indicate flow directions and contours represent reservoir pressure deviating from the radial drawdown pattern. Reservoir boundary pressures are fixed simulating infinite-acting reservoir behaviour. This discrete fracture model shows how water immediately invades the fracture network cutting off oil production. (Click for larger image (image1)) (Click for larger image (image2))

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