Abstract

Abstract Sand fines release and migration is a universal problem in the production of oil from unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs which can result in both sanding problems and profound effects on oil recovery. A new three dimensional (3D) field scale mathematical model, differing from those used for conventional oil reservoir numerical simulator in that both the advanced theories of sand particle release and migration, is presented. And the model is solved by a finite-difference method and the line successive over relaxation (LSOR) technique. A numerical simulator is written in Fortran 90 and VC++ and it can be used to predict (1) the sand content in produced liquid, (2) the porosity and permeability changes caused by sand release and migration in formation, and (3) well production performances and residual oil distribution. A series of runs of oil field examples with five-spot patterns were made on the numerical simulator. The results show that sanding problems in the oil formation can accelerate the heterogeneity of the reservoir rocks, and has an obvious influence on production performances: water-drive process, water-cut trends, and oil recovery. In a conclusion, the new simulator improves the ability and accuracy for numerical simulating the development of the unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs.

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