A Comprehensive Model Integrating the Stress Sensitivity for Pressure Transient Behavior Study on the Two-Zone System for Offshore Loose Sandstone Reservoirs

Abstract

Abstract Permeability changes in the weakly consolidated sandstone formation, caused by sand migration, has a serious impact on the interpretation of well testing and production prediction. In this article, a two-zone comprehensive model is presented to describe the changes in permeability by integrating the produced sand, stress sensitivity characteristics. In this model, inner zone is modeled as a higher permeability radial reservoir because of the sand migration, while the outer zone is considered as a lower permeability reservoir. Besides, non-Newtonian fluid flow characteristics are considered as threshold pressure gradient in this paper. As a result, this bi-zone comprehensive model is built. The analytical solution to this composite model can be obtained using Laplace transformation, orthogonal transformation, and then the bottomhole pressure in real space can be solved by Stehfest and perturbation inversion techniques. Based on the oilfield cases validated in the oilfield data from the produced sand horizontal well, the flow regimes analysis shows seven flow regimes can be divided in this bi-zone model considering stress sensitive. In addition, the proposed new model is validated by the compassion results of traditional method without the complex factors. Besides, the effect related parameters of stress sensitivity coefficient, skin factor, permeability ratio and sanding radius on the typical curves of well-testing are analyzed. This work introduces two-zone composite model to reflect the variations of permeability caused by the produced sand in the unconsolidated sandstone formation, which can produce great influence on pressure transient behavior. Besides, this paper can also provide a more accurate reference for reservoir engineers in well test interpretation of loose sandstone reservoirs.