Justification of necessity to consider well interference in the process of well

Abstract

The paper discusses results of the unique field-scale experiment on halving of active wells and increase of pressure differential at bottomholes of active wells in the Bavlinskoye oil field. With a view to assess the effect of well interference between shut-in and active wells, two scenarios of oil flow lines in the reservoir, shut-in scenario and do-nothing scenario, were modeled. The numerical computation demonstrated that increase of pressure differential at an early stage of development can maintain the obtained level of production with a less number of free-flowing wells. It was also found that an optimal well pattern has to be used at an early stage of development. In this case, oil losses are lower vs. infill drilling at the late stage of development. In the latter case, high water cut challenges economic production, which was the case with half of re-entry experimental wells. Keywords: free-flow production; increase of differential pressure; field-scale experiment; well pattern; well interference; oil flow paths.