Abstract
Current fines migration models follow a decoupled approach, not incorporating the effects from the poroelastic response of the porous medium on mobilization and straying of fines and the resulting permeability damages. Furthermore, the impact of in-situ fine particles present in the porous matrix, on the poroelastic response of the formation to fluid-induced flow has not been studied. This paper presents a novel coupled numerical model to explain the spatiotemporal geomechanical response of a saturated porous formation that contains fine particles retained on the solid skeleton, under both injection and production induced flow. The coupled effects from the poroelastic response of the target zone as well as those from the fine-migration-induced permeability reduction are integrated into our mathematical formulations, while also incorporating vertical confinement effects using the Winkler model approximation. Results reveal that fine migration and straining notably impacts the induced pore pressures, displacements, and in-situ permeability, specifically at wellbore vicinity. Higher pore pressure alterations (higher increase under injection, and higher drop under production) is detected when incorporating fines migration, which captures field observations in damaged permeability zones. The impact of fine migration and straining is more significant during production versus injection, due to the geomechanical compression generated in the reservoir under production flow. Exitance of fine particles complicate the geomechanical response of a confined formation to flow, enhancing the effects of vertical confinement. Flow induced deviatoric stresses are significantly higher when fine migration effects are incorporated, resulting in early failure; which cannot be captured using conventional poroelasticity models.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
