TY - THES

T1 - Optimizing Spacing and Fracture Dimensions for Horizontal Wells in a Tight Carbonate Formation with the Help of Numerical Simulation

AU - Popa, Alexandru Petrut

N1 - embargoed until 02-10-2022

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - It is commonly acceptable today that the development of hydrocarbons from low-permeability reservoirs benefits mostly from suitable hydraulic fracturing. Adequate consideration must be given to the challenges met in the determination of the optimum spacing of fractured horizontal wells during field applications. Despite the multiple publications of analytical and numerical studies, there is limited consensus regarding the performance characteristics and the connectivity of the reservoir between such wells. This thesis presents a numerical simulation for a tight carbonate field located in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea. By the use of a Design of Experiments, sensitivities of the results related to the fracture dimensions, reservoir properties and well distances are observed from the simulation runs and documented. Using response surface models based on the end analysis can demonstrate the importance of the relative sensitivity parameters. For this work, software packages from Schlumberger (Petrel, Eclipse) are used to investigate and interpret the variety of production features pertinent to the tight oil carbonate system. The practical part is subdivided in two major sections. Initially, the creation of new pilot horizontal wells and their respective completion was needed to match the model, by use of local grid refinement within a sector model. From there, history matching and forecasting scenarios for the up-scaled geological model are needed for flow behaviour and interference observation. Afterwards, proxy models are constructed in regards to a final economical model to showcase the optimum reservoir and completion characteristics needed for the highest recovery efficiency.

AB - It is commonly acceptable today that the development of hydrocarbons from low-permeability reservoirs benefits mostly from suitable hydraulic fracturing. Adequate consideration must be given to the challenges met in the determination of the optimum spacing of fractured horizontal wells during field applications. Despite the multiple publications of analytical and numerical studies, there is limited consensus regarding the performance characteristics and the connectivity of the reservoir between such wells. This thesis presents a numerical simulation for a tight carbonate field located in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea. By the use of a Design of Experiments, sensitivities of the results related to the fracture dimensions, reservoir properties and well distances are observed from the simulation runs and documented. Using response surface models based on the end analysis can demonstrate the importance of the relative sensitivity parameters. For this work, software packages from Schlumberger (Petrel, Eclipse) are used to investigate and interpret the variety of production features pertinent to the tight oil carbonate system. The practical part is subdivided in two major sections. Initially, the creation of new pilot horizontal wells and their respective completion was needed to match the model, by use of local grid refinement within a sector model. From there, history matching and forecasting scenarios for the up-scaled geological model are needed for flow behaviour and interference observation. Afterwards, proxy models are constructed in regards to a final economical model to showcase the optimum reservoir and completion characteristics needed for the highest recovery efficiency.

KW - carbonate

KW - design of experiments

KW - hydraulic fracturing

KW - numerical simulation

KW - tight

KW - Karbonat

KW - Hydraulic Fracturing

KW - Numerische Simulation

KW - Proxy-Modelle

M3 - Master's Thesis

ER -