Summary
Discrete-fracture modeling and simulation of two-phase flow in realistic
representations of fractured reservoirs can now be used for the design of
improved-oil-recovery (IOR) and enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) strategies. Thus
far, however, discrete-fracture simulators usually do not include a third
compressible gaseous phase. This hinders the investigation of the performance
of gas gravity drainage, water alternating gas injection, and blowdown in
fractured reservoirs.
We present a new numerical method that expands the capabilities of existing
black-oil models for three-component, three-phase flow in three ways: (a) It
uses a finite-element/finite-volume discretization generalized to unstructured
hybrid element meshes. (b) It employs higher-order accurate representations of
the flux terms. (c) Flash calculations are carried out with an improved
equation of state allowing for a more realistic treatment of phase
behavior.
We illustrate the robustness of this numerical method in several
applications. First, quasi-1D simulations are used to demonstrate grid
convergence. Then, 2D discrete-fracture models are used to illustrate the
effect of mesh quality on predicted production rates in discrete-fracture
models. Finally, the proposed method is used to simulate three-component,
three-phase flow in a realistic 2D model of fractured limestone mapped in the
Bristol Channel, UK, and create a 3D stochastically generated discrete-fracture
model.
© 2009. Society of Petroleum Engineers
View full textPDF
(
1,992 KB
)
History
- Original manuscript received:
18 February 2007
- Meeting paper published:
11 June 2007
- Revised manuscript received:
3 July 2008
- Manuscript approved:
4 September 2008
- Published online:
1 June 2009
- Version of record:
1 June 2009
View Cart
