Green’s function-based type curves for multi-fractured horizontal gas wells in unconventional reservoirs

Abstract

This paper presents a new Green’s function-based type curves for analyzing rate transient data from multi-fractured horizontal wells in unconventional gas reservoirs. Type curve analysis has been extensively employed as an inverse modeling approach to determine key reservoir/hydraulic-fracture properties as well as original gas-in-place based on recorded production data. Several studies were conducted on the generation of type curves for multi-fractured horizontal gas wells; however, the development of type curves able to rigorously incorporate nonlinearities associated with the gas flow as well as to continuously model the sequence of flow regimes experienced in such wells remains to be accomplished. In this work, type curves are generated via Green’s function-based method (GFM) which has been proven to be capable to surpass some of the existing limitations of type curves for multi-fractured horizontal gas wells. An approach has been proposed to estimate contacted-gas-in-place through type curve analysis under scenarios where boundary-dominated flow data is not available to the analyst. The proposed methodology consistently provides reliable estimates for reservoir/fracture properties, original and contacted gas-in-place, verified through the implementation of 36 case studies.