Application of Streamline Simulation to Gas Displacement Processes

Abstract

Performance evaluation of miscible and near-miscible gas injection processes is available through conventional finite difference (FD) compositional simulation. Streamline methods have also been developed in which fluid is transported along the streamlines instead of using the finite difference grid. In streamline-based simulation, a 3D flow problem is decoupled into a set of 1D problems solved along streamlines. This reduces simulation time relative to FD simulation, and suppresses the numerical dispersion errors that are present in FD simulations. Larger time steps and higher spatial resolution can be achieved in these simulations. Thus, streamline-based reservoir simulation can be orders of magnitude faster than the conventional finite difference methods. Streamline methods are traditionally only applied to incompressible flow processes. In this paper, the method is adopted and assessed for application to compressible flow processes. A detailed comparison is given between the results of conventional FD simulation and the streamline approach for gas displacement processes. Finally, some guidelines are given on how the streamline method can potentially be used to good effect for gas displacement processes.