IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v16y2023i18p6476-d1235126.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Coupled Poro-Elastic Fluid Flow Simulator for Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

Author

Listed:
  • Reda Abdel Azim

    (Petroleum Engineering Department, American University of Kurdistan, Sumel 42003, Iraq)

  • Saad Alatefi

    (Department of Petroleum Engineering Technology, College of Technological Studies, PAAET, P.O. Box 42325, Kuwait City 70654, Kuwait)

  • Ahmad Alkouh

    (Department of Petroleum Engineering Technology, College of Technological Studies, PAAET, P.O. Box 42325, Kuwait City 70654, Kuwait)

Abstract

Naturally fractured reservoirs are characterized by their complex nature due to the existence of natural fractures and fissures within the rock formations. These fractures can significantly impact the flow of fluids within the reservoir, making it difficult to predict and manage production. Therefore, efficient production from such reservoirs requires a deep understanding of the flow behavior via the integration of various geological, geophysical, and engineering data. Additionally, advanced simulation models can be used to predict reservoir behavior under different production scenarios and aid in decision making and effective management. Accordingly, this study presents a robust mathematical two-phase fluid flow model (FRACSIM) for the simulation of the flow behavior of naturally fractured reservoirs in a 3D space. The mathematical model is based on the finite element technique and implemented using the FORTRAN language within a poro-elastic framework. Fractures are represented by triangle elements, while tetrahedral elements represent the matrix. To optimize computational time, short to medium-length fractures adopt the permeability tensor approach, while large fractures are discretized explicitly. The governing equations for poro-elasticity are discretized in both space and time using a standard Galerkin-based finite element approach. The stability of the saturation equation solution is ensured via the application of the Galerkin discretization method. The 3D fracture model has been verified against Eclipse 100, a commercial software, via a well-test case study of a fractured basement reservoir to ensure its effectiveness. Additionally, the FRACSIM software successfully simulated a laboratory glass bead drainage test for two intersected fractures and accurately captured the flow pattern and cumulative production results. Furthermore, a sensitivity study of water injection using an inverted five-spot technique was tested on FRACSIM to assess the productivity of drilled wells in complex fractured reservoirs. The results indicate that FRACSIM can accurately predict flow behavior and subsequently be utilized to evaluate production performance in naturally fractured reservoirs.

Suggested Citation

  • Reda Abdel Azim & Saad Alatefi & Ahmad Alkouh, 2023. "A Coupled Poro-Elastic Fluid Flow Simulator for Naturally Fractured Reservoirs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-26, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:18:p:6476-:d:1235126
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/18/6476/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/18/6476/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Qiang & Chen, Xi & Jha, Awadhesh N. & Rogers, Howard, 2014. "Natural gas from shale formation – The evolution, evidences and challenges of shale gas revolution in United States," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 1-28.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sharafian, Amir & Talebian, Hoda & Blomerus, Paul & Herrera, Omar & Mérida, Walter, 2017. "A review of liquefied natural gas refueling station designs," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 503-513.
    2. Sofia Dahlgren & Jonas Ammenberg, 2021. "Sustainability Assessment of Public Transport, Part II—Applying a Multi-Criteria Assessment Method to Compare Different Bus Technologies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-30, January.
    3. Wang, Qiang & Li, Rongrong, 2016. "Journey to burning half of global coal: Trajectory and drivers of China׳s coal use," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 341-346.
    4. Kuchler, Magdalena & Höök, Mikael, 2020. "Fractured visions: Anticipating (un)conventional natural gas in Poland," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    5. Wang, Qiang & Jiang, Feng, 2019. "Integrating linear and nonlinear forecasting techniques based on grey theory and artificial intelligence to forecast shale gas monthly production in Pennsylvania and Texas of the United States," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 781-803.
    6. Ikonnikova, Svetlana & Gülen, Gürcan & Browning, John & Tinker, Scott W., 2015. "Profitability of shale gas drilling: A case study of the Fayetteville shale play," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 382-393.
    7. Rongrong Li & Xue-Ting Jiang, 2017. "Inequality of Carbon Intensity: Empirical Analysis of China 2000–2014," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-12, April.
    8. Blundell, Wesley & Kokoza, Anatolii, 2022. "Natural gas flaring, respiratory health, and distributional effects," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    9. Wang, Qiang & Li, Rongrong, 2016. "Impact of cheaper oil on economic system and climate change: A SWOT analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 925-931.
    10. Centner, Terence J., 2016. "Reducing pollution at five critical points of shale gas production: Strategies and institutional responses," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 40-46.
    11. Li, Yanbin & Li, Yun & Wang, Bingqian & Chen, Zhuoer & Nie, Dan, 2016. "The status quo review and suggested policies for shale gas development in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 420-428.
    12. Rui Jiang & Rongrong Li, 2017. "Decomposition and Decoupling Analysis of Life-Cycle Carbon Emission in China’s Building Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-18, May.
    13. Temitope Love Baiyegunhi & Christopher Baiyegunhi & Benedict Kinshasa Pharoe, 2022. "Global Research Trends on Shale Gas from 2010–2020 Using a Bibliometric Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-22, March.
    14. Xuedong Guo & Xing Chen & Yingsong Li & Zhun Li & Wei Guo, 2019. "Using Sustainable Oil Shale Waste Powder Treated with Silane Coupling Agent for Enriching the Performance of Asphalt and Asphalt Mixture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-23, September.
    15. Guanglin Pi & Xiucheng Dong & Cong Dong & Jie Guo & Zhengwei Ma, 2015. "The Status, Obstacles and Policy Recommendations of Shale Gas Development in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-20, February.
    16. Guliyev, Farid, 2020. "Trump’s “America first” energy policy, contingency and the reconfiguration of the global energy order," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    17. Chunsheng Yu & Xiao Zhao & Qi Jiang & Xiaosha Lin & Hengyuan Gong & Xuanqing Chen, 2022. "Shale Microstructure Characteristics under the Action of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (Sc-CO 2 )," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-9, November.
    18. Mandadige Samintha Anne Perera & Kadinappuli Hewage Suresh Madushan Sampath & Pathegama Gamage Ranjith & Tharaka Dilanka Rathnaweera, 2018. "Effects of Pore Fluid Chemistry and Saturation Degree on the Fracability of Australian Warwick Siltstone," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-15, October.
    19. Shuyu Li & Rongrong Li, 2019. "Evaluating Energy Sustainability Using the Pressure-State-Response and Improved Matter-Element Extension Models: Case Study of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-20, January.
    20. Jadidzadeh, Ali & Serletis, Apostolos, 2017. "How does the U.S. natural gas market react to demand and supply shocks in the crude oil market?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 66-74.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:18:p:6476-:d:1235126. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.