PETR 5320

Advanced Reservoir Engineering

GL_7

Conventional Numerical Simulation

Solve numerically the three D three phase equations

that arises from the multi-D multi-phase flow problem
in a reservoir
These are in general three PDE linked to each other

3 phase simulation

Conventional Numerical Simulation

Numerical Method

Numerical Method

Numerical Method

Numerical Method

Numerical Method

Numerical Method

10

Conventional Numerical Simulation

3 phase flow problem

Unknown (At any grid block I,j,k)

PO
PW
PG
SO
SW
SG

Numerical Simulation
Approach

Write the PDE, BC and IC

Discretize the reservoir

Write the Finite Differential equation

Obtain a large system of simultaneous equations
Linearize
Solve this system of very large number of
equations into the same number of unknowns

Streamline Simulation
I Application: Simple case study
Assumptions

Infinite reservoir
Uncompressible fluid
Single phase
Homogeneous and isotropic PM
Radial symmetry around the well
Symmetry along z
Single well generalized to multiple wells

Streamline Simulation
Approach
Assume:

Infinite reservoir
Uncompressible fluid
Single phase
Homogeneous and isotropic PM
Radial symmetry around the well
Symmetry along z
Single well generalized to multiple wells

Streamline Simulation
Approach

Procedure

At any point, compute the potential function

At any point, we compute the gradient ()

At any point, we compute the velocity V

Divide the space into N steam tubes
Define starting SL at initial conditions
Construct the streamlines for subsequent times
Construct and track the front

Streamlines and stream tubes

Streamlines
Streamtubes

Streamline Models
Generalization: Application to Bounded reservoirs
Assumptions
Bounded reservoir
Uncompressible fluid
Single phase
Homogeneous and isotropic PM
Radial symmetry around the well
Symmetry along z
Single well generalized to multiple wells

Streamline Models
Generalization:
Application to Bounded reservoirs

Physical barriers are simulated by image wells which are similar to the
real wells but located at a point symmetrical to the real wells by reference
to the barrier

Well A

Physical
boundary
d

Image Well
A

Application of the image theory

r

2
2
2
2
q A ln x x A y y A q A' ln x x A' y y A'
4kh

Y
Well A

Image Well
A

Streamline Models
Generalization
Application to frontal advance theory
Assumptions

Bounded reservoir
Two phase flow
Homogeneous and isotropic PM
Radial symmetry around the well
Symmetry along z
Single well or multiple wells

Streamline Models
Use of frontal advance theory to
generalize Streamline modeling

Streamline Models
III Generalization: Application to
frontal advance theory
Each stream tube is treated individually

Find and plot fractional flow curve f w

'
f
Plot the derivative w
At each time step find the cum water injected
Find the pore volume injected
Find the BT time
At each time step find streamtube performance

Streamline Models
Streamtube performance at a given time step

Find porous volume of each ST.

Use fractional flow curve in each ST
Find local and average Sw in the ST
Find the oil production rate from the ST
Find the water production rate from the ST
Find the WOR in the ST
Find the oil recovery

Streamline Models
Analysis of the results
Examine the results of the N streamtubes

Keep record of the streamtubes that reached BT.

Estimate the total oil produced
Estimate the total water produced
Estimate the total WOR
Estimate the total recovery in the reservoir

Streamlines and stream tubes

Streamlines
Streamtubes

Streamtube and position of the front

Streamtube and position of the front

Streamtube and position of the front

Streamtube and position of the front

FRONTAL ADVANCE THEORY

Application to Stream lime models

31

Application to Stream lime models

32

STREAMLINE SIMULATION
Modeling of no flow boundaries

33

STREAMLINE SIMULATION

Upscaled models

34