An Estimation Method of Water Drive Displacement Based on Formation Permeability Distribution and Inverse Problem Modeling

Abstract

Formation permeability distribution is important in the oil industry since it is a key tool in forecasting oil production performance, a matter of primary concern to oilfield operators. However, the direct problems of reservoir analysis are limited in practice by a lack of input parameters such as reservoir vertical heterogeneity. Therefore, inverse problem modeling is important to achieve reservoir vertical heterogeneity using production profiles, which are always known for existing reservoirs. In this way, what has occurred inside a reservoir can be understood by applying reservoir output in the reverse model. Because formation permeability can frequently be represented by a normal distribution and can describe heterogeneity and water production capability, an inverse problem of formation permeability was modeled to study reservoir vertical heterogeneity and reservoir production performance based on oil-water two-fluid flow theory and optimization problems. Moreover, through establishing an objective function, we obtained an optimal solution for water production rate. Finally, one case is simulated by this model and good results achieved, which are compatible with production and experimental data.