Method of hydrocarbon reservoir simulation using streamline conformal grids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023003101-A1
Application number	US-202217810233-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 30, 2022
Priority date	Jun 30, 2021
Publication date	Jan 5, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and method of simulating fluid flow in a hydrocarbon reservoir is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a coarse grid model of the hydrocarbon reservoir and a trajectory of a wellbore that penetrates the hydrocarbon reservoir, and determining an initial grid geometry surrounding the trajectory. The method further includes constructing a reservoir simulation grid, conformal to the initial grid geometry in a first region in a vicinity of the wellbore and conformal with the coarse grid model in a second region more distant from the wellbore than the first region, and performing a hydrocarbon reservoir simulation, modeling a flow of fluid in the hydrocarbon reservoir based, at least in part, on the reservoir simulation grid.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . A method of simulating fluid flow in a hydrocarbon reservoir, comprising:
obtaining a coarse grid model of the hydrocarbon reservoir and a trajectory of a wellbore that penetrates the hydrocarbon reservoir; determining an initial grid geometry surrounding the trajectory; constructing a reservoir simulation grid, wherein the reservoir simulation grid is conformal to the initial grid geometry in a first region in a vicinity of the wellbore and conformal with the coarse grid model in a second region more distant from the wellbore than the first region; and performing a hydrocarbon reservoir simulation, modeling a flow of fluid in the hydrocarbon reservoir based, at least in part, on the reservoir simulation grid.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming and executing a hydrocarbon reservoir production plan based, at least on part, on the hydrocarbon reservoir simulation.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the hydrocarbon reservoir simulation comprises performing a multiphase multi-component reservoir simulation.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon reservoir is a wet gas reservoir.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the initial grid geometry is determined, at least in part, from isobars of a coarse-grid simulation.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a first horizontal axis of the initial grid geometry comprises an ellipse.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein a second horizontal axis of the initial grid geometry is locally orthogonal to the ellipse.

8 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by a computer processor, the instructions comprising functionality for:
obtaining a coarse grid model of a hydrocarbon reservoir and a trajectory of a wellbore that penetrates the hydrocarbon reservoir; determining an initial grid geometry surrounding the trajectory; constructing a reservoir simulation grid, wherein the reservoir simulation grid is conformal to the initial grid geometry in a first region in a vicinity of the wellbore and conformal with the coarse grid model in a second region more distant from the wellbore than the first region; and performing a hydrocarbon reservoir simulation, modeling a flow of fluid in the hydrocarbon reservoir based, at least in part, on the reservoir simulation grid.

9 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising instructions for forming a hydrocarbon reservoir production plan based, at least on part, on the hydrocarbon reservoir simulation.

10 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein performing the hydrocarbon reservoir simulation comprises performing a multiphase multi-component reservoir simulation.

11 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the hydrocarbon reservoir is a wet gas reservoir.

12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the initial grid geometry is determined, at least in part, from isobars of a coarse-grid simulation.

13 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein a first horizontal axis of the initial grid geometry comprises an ellipse and a second horizontal axis of the initial grid geometry is locally orthogonal to the ellipse.

14 . A system comprising:
a reservoir simulator, configured to:
obtain a coarse grid model of a hydrocarbon reservoir and a trajectory of a wellbore that penetrates the hydrocarbon reservoir;
determine an initial grid geometry surrounding the trajectory;
construct a reservoir simulation grid, wherein the reservoir simulation grid is conformal to the initial grid geometry in a first region in a vicinity of the wellbore and conformal with the coarse grid model in a second region more distant from the wellbore than the first region; and
perform a hydrocarbon reservoir simulation, modeling a flow of fluid in the hydrocarbon reservoir based, at least in part, on the reservoir simulation grid;
develop a hydrocarbon reservoir production plan; and
a well planning system configured to determine a planned wellbore trajectory based upon the hydrocarbon reservoir production plan.

15 . The system of claim 14 , further comprising a drilling system configured to drilling the wellbore guided by the planned wellbore trajectory.

16 . The system of claim 14 , further comprising a pumping system configured to pump a fluid injection program based, at least in part, upon the hydrocarbon reservoir production plan.

17 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the hydrocarbon reservoir is a wet gas reservoir.

18 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the initial grid geometry of isobars is determined, at least in part, from a coarse-grid simulation.

19 . The system of claim 14 , wherein a first horizontal axis of the initial grid geometry comprises an ellipse.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein a second horizontal axis of the initial grid geometry is locally orthogonal to the ellipse.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Dogru Ali Haydar
• Cancelliere Michel

Classifications

• G01V2210/644

  Connectivity, e.g. for fluid movement · CPC title

• E21B2200/20

  Computer models or simulations, e.g. for reservoirs under production, drill bits · CPC title

• G06F30/20

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• G06F2113/08

  Fluids · CPC title

• G01V2210/624

  Reservoir parameters · CPC title