Sharif Digital Repository

We consider the application of the Finite Element Method (FEM) for numerical pressure transient analysis under conditions where no reliable analytical solution is available. Pressure transient analysis is normally based on various analytical solutions of the linear one-dimensional diffusion equation under restrictive assumptions about the formation and its boundaries. For example, the formation is either assumed isotropic or a restrictive a priori assumption is made about its heterogeneity. The wellbore storage effect is also often considered without regard to the possibility of phase redistribution. In many practical situations such restrictions are not justified and analytical solutions do... 

Pressure transient analysis in vertically heterogeneous reservoirs is examined. The inclusion of a separate model for the free fluid flow in the wellbore is essential to allow for hydraulic communication and mixing of the fluid issuing from different reservoir layers. A two-dimensional model coupling Darcy flow in the reservoir with Navier-Stokes flow in the wellbore is developed and solved by the finite element technique. The coupled wellbore-reservoir flow model is used to analyze a layered reservoir with an abrupt change in permeability and a thick formation showing a gradual change in permeability with depth. Contrary to conventional reservoir models, this new model is able to capture... 

Stress sensitivity is a phenomenon that affects reservoir rock properties, such as permeability and therefore changes the well pressure transient behavior. This paper aims to study these behaviors in stress sensitive reservoirs and evaluate the pressure loss in such reservoirs during the process of hydrocarbon production. A power model is used to correlate the changes in permeability with pore pressure. A novel semi-implicit three-dimensional finite element method has been employed to numerically solve the flow problem. The numerical results have been validated by analytical results obtained in a non-sensitive reservoir. Pressure drawdown test for different scenarios has been studied. The... 

Abstract: Well testing is one of the important methods to provide information about the reservoir heterogeneity and boundary limits by analyzing reservoir dynamic responses. Despite the significance of well testing data, misinterpreted data can lead us to a wrong reservoir performance prediction. In this study, we focus on cases ignoring the adjacent well’s production history, which may lead to misinterpretation. The analysis was conducted on both homogeneous and naturally fractured reservoirs in infinite-acting and finite-acting conditions. The model includes two wells: one is “tested well” and the other is “adjacent one.” By studying different scenarios and focusing on derivative plots, it... 

Fractures identification is essential during exploration, drilling and well completion of naturally fractured reservoirs since they have a significant impact on flow contribution. There are different methods to characterize these systems based on formation properties and fluid flow behaviour such as logging and testing. Pressure-transient testing has long been recognized as a reservoir characterization tool. Although welltest analysis is a recommended technique for fracture evaluation, but its use is still not well understood. Analysis of pressure transient data provides dynamic reservoir properties such as average permeability, fracture storativity and fracture conductivity.An infusion of... 

This study presents a novel perspective on pressure-transient analysis (PTA) of downhole-pressure and flow-rate data by use of system-identification (SI) techniques as widely used in advanced process engineering. Key features of the paper are that it considers the classic PTA process from a system-theoretical perspective; derives the causal structure of the flow dynamics; proposes a method to deal with continuously varying pressure and flow-rate signals contaminated with correlated noise, which estimates physical reservoir parameters through a systematic matching procedure in the frequency domain; and can cope with arbitrary (i.e., not necessarily piecewise constant) flow-rate signals. To... 

Accurate estimation of the reservoir parameters is crucial to predict the future reservoir behavior. Well testing is a dynamic method used to estimate the petro-physical reservoir parameters through imposing a rate disturbance at the wellhead and recording the pressure data in the wellbore. However, an accurate estimation of the reservoir parameters from well-test data is vulnerable to the noise at the recorded data, the non-uniqueness of the obtained match, and the accuracy of the optimization algorithm. Different stochastic optimization methods have been applied to this address problem in the literature. In this study, we apply the recently developed iterative ensemble Kalman filter in the... 

Accurate estimation of the reservoir parameters is crucial to predict the future reservoir behavior. Well testing is a dynamic method used to estimate the petro-physical reservoir parameters through imposing a rate disturbance at the wellhead and recording the pressure data in the wellbore. However, an accurate estimation of the reservoir parameters from well-test data is vulnerable to the noise at the recorded data, the non-uniqueness of the obtained match, and the accuracy of the optimization algorithm. Different stochastic optimization methods have been applied to this address problem in the literature. In this study, we apply the recently developed iterative ensemble Kalman filter in the... 

Interpretation of temperature logs has been done successfully in wells to identify water or gas entries location, detect casing leaks, and evaluate cement placement. This paper shows how knowledge of the Joule-Thomson cooling effect and frictional heating effect can be applied for well test interpretation. Many analysts rely on pressure derivative curve to diagnose wellbore storage period and radial flow regime on pressure transient data. However, there are field examples that flow regimes can't be accurately determined. During transient tests, both pressure and temperature are changed depending on downhole flow rate. In gas producing wells, Joule-Thomson cooling and frictional heating... 

Gas condensate production using technology of multi-stage hydraulically fracturing in shale gas condensate reservoirs' horizontal wells is a new topic of unconventional resources studies. Thus, shale gas condensate as a new source of energy can be considered as an important issue for development and further studies. In this work, a semi-analytical solution of gas and oil two-phase flow is presented for pressure transient analysis (PTA) and rate transient analysis (RTA) of a shale gas condensate reservoir's production data. Fluid flow assumption here is flow in a pseudo triple-porosity porous media, which are matrix, natural fractures and adsorbed gas. Adsorbed gas is a form of gas in porous... 

During transient tests, both pressure and temperature are changed depending on downhole flow rate. In gas producing wells, Joule-Thomson cooling and frictional heating effects are the main dynamic factors causing flowing bottomhole temperature to differ from the static formation temperature at that depth. When a gas well is shut in, JT cooling effect is vanished and this causes a sharp increase in sandface temperature. As effect of wellbore storage ends, wellbore temperature gradually cools down due to heat conduction with near wellbore region. This paper demonstrates a new technique for using temperature transient data in gas wells in order to determine end of wellbore storage. Also, effect...