Finite Element Model to Simulate Two-Phase Fluid Flow in Naturally Fractured Oil Reservoirs: Part I.

Abstract

Naturally fractured reservoirs host more than 20% of the world’s total oil and gas reserves. To produce from such reservoirs efficiently, a good understanding of the reservoir behavior at various conditions is essential. This allows us to predict the reservoir performance in advance and assess its economic feasibility. However, the production from such reservoirs is challenging due to (a) uncertainty associated with the fracture map, (b) complex physics phenomena of fluid and rock interaction, and (c) lack of comprehensive knowledge of the extent, orientation, and permeability sensitivity of the fracture network. This paper addresses the abovementioned challenges by presenting a three-dimenisonal (3-D) two-phase fluid flow model in a poroelastic environment. The model is based on a hybrid methodology by combining single continuum and discrete fracture network approaches. Also, the capillary pressure effect, saturation, and relative permeability variations are considered. A mathematical formulation for three-dimensional, two immiscible fluid flows including rock deformation for the fracture network and the rock matrix is presented. A standard Galerkin-based finite element method is applied to discretize the poroelastic governing equations in space and time. The characteristic Galerkin discretization method is used to stabilize the solution of the convection equation in a finite element approach. The 3-D model is validated against IMEX commercial software and finite element package to test its robustness. The results show that the developed model has the ability to predict the two-phase flow behavior precisely, which can be used to assess the production performance of naturally fractured reservoirs. Numerical results of fluid flow profiles for single and multiple fractures with different orientations that match experimental oil drainage tests and field case studies are presented that proves the reliability of the developed multiphase flow model. Results of simulated well production data show an excellent match with the field production data.