Abstract
In this article, an open-source code for the simulation of fluid flow, including adsorption, transport, and indirect hydromechanical coupling in unconventional fractured reservoirs is described. The code leverages cutting-edge numerical modeling capabilities like automatic differentiation, stochastic fracture modeling, multicontinuum modeling, and discrete fracture models. In the fluid mass balance equation, specific physical mechanisms, unique to organic-rich source rocks, are included, like an adsorption isotherm, a dynamic permeability-correction function, and an Embedded Discrete Fracture Model (EDFM) with fracture-to-well connectivity. The code is validated against an industrial simulator and applied for a study of the performance of the Barnett shale reservoir, where adsorption, gas slippage, diffusion, indirect hydromechanical coupling, and propped fractures are considered. It is the first open-source code available to facilitate the modeling and production optimization of fractured shale-gas reservoirs. The modular design also facilitates rapid prototyping and demonstration of new models. This article also contains a quantitative analysis of the accuracy and limitations of EDFM for gas production simulation in unconventional fractured reservoirs.
Highlights
Unconventional gas reservoirs are gaining interest as decades of oil and natural gas production have resulted in extensive use of conventional resources
Unconventional reservoirs are characterized by complex transport mechanism and the occurrence of multiscale fractures [2], the well-established models for flow and transport in porous media are not usable [3]
Embedded Discrete Fracture Model (EDFM) is an efficient method to solve the fluid flow problem in fractured reservoirs, Tene et al [30] show that it may introduce large errors when dealing with low conductivity or sealing faults/fractures
Summary
Unconventional gas reservoirs are gaining interest as decades of oil and natural gas production have resulted in extensive use of conventional resources. EDFM is an efficient method to solve the fluid flow problem in fractured reservoirs, Tene et al [30] show that it may introduce large errors when dealing with low conductivity or sealing faults/fractures The effect of such errors on the prediction of well performance is hard to define. A numerical code (ShOpen) for the simulation of nonlinear gas flow in unconventional reservoirs with multiscale fractures is described. It is an efficient and flexible framework (ShOpen) including the MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox (MRST), an open-source reservoir simulation toolkit, and an EDFM.
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