Multiphase flow in a wellbore and connected hydraulic fracture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9404361-B2
Application number	US-201414168838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2014
Priority date	Jun 24, 2010
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

One or more computer-readable media include computer-executable instructions to instruct a computing system to iteratively solve a system of equations that model a wellbore and fracture network in a reservoir where the system of equations includes equations for multiphase flow in a porous medium, equations for multiphase flow between a fracture and a wellbore, and equations for multiphase flow between a formation of a reservoir and a fracture. Various other apparatuses, systems, methods, etc., are also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a reservoir model of a reservoir wherein the reservoir model comprises a three-dimensional grid that defines grid cells in a reservoir model space;
providing a well model of a well and a hydraulic fracture that intersects the well wherein the well model comprises segments within the reservoir model space that comprise fracture connections to a number of the grid cells of the reservoir model without a demand for finer grid cells of the reservoir model and wherein the well model comprises an associated system of equations that accounts for multiphase flow between the hydraulic fracture and the well and between the reservoir and the hydraulic fracture based at least in part on pressures of the reservoir model; and
solving, using a computing device, at least the system of equations for the well model to generate a solution.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the system of equations comprises non-linear equations for the well and the hydraulic fracture.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the solving iteratively solves the system of equations.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising introducing the solution for the system of equations of the well model as input to a system of equations for the reservoir model and iteratively solving the system of equations for the reservoir model.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the well comprises a horizontal portion intersected by the hydraulic fracture.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising rendering a perspective view of the well and the hydraulic fracture to a display.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the reservoir comprises a shale gas reservoir.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the system of equations accounts for permeability of the hydraulic fracture.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the system of equations accounts for proppant in the hydraulic fracture.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the system of equations that accounts for multiphase flow between the reservoir and the hydraulic fracture comprises distances, each distance defined as a distance away from the hydraulic fracture at which a local pressure is equal to a nodal average pressure of a respective grid cell.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the segments comprise well segments that represent one selected from the group consisting of perforated lengths of the well and unperforated lengths of the well.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiphase flow between the hydraulic fracture and the well comprises pressure driven flow of gas between the hydraulic fracture and the well.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the well model comprises a network model of the well and the hydraulic fracture.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the well model comprises orienting the hydraulic fracture with respect to the well.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydraulic fracture comprises a geometry selected from transverse, longitudinal and horizontal.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the well model comprises a plurality of hydraulic fractures that intersect the well.

17. A system comprising:
a processor;
memory operatively coupled to the processor;
modules stored in the memory and executable by the processor to:
receive a reservoir model of a reservoir wherein the reservoir model comprises a three-dimensional grid that defines grid cells in a reservoir model space;
provide a well model of a well and a hydraulic fracture that intersects the well wherein the well model comprises segments within the reservoir model space that comprise fracture connections to a number of the grid cells of the reservoir model without a demand for finer grid cells of the reservoir model and wherein the well model comprises an associated system of equations that accounts for at least flow of gas between the hydraulic fracture and the well and between the reservoir and the hydraulic fracture based at least in part on pressures in the reservoir model; and
solve the system of equations for the well model to generate a solution.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the well model comprises a plurality of hydraulic fractures that intersect the well.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media that comprise computer-executable instructions executable to instruct a computing device to:
receive a reservoir model of a reservoir wherein the reservoir model comprises a three-dimensional grid that defines grid cells in a reservoir model space;
define a well model of a well and a hydraulic fracture that intersects the well wherein the well model comprises segments within the reservoir model space that comprise fracture connections to a number of the grid cells of the reservoir model without a demand for finer grid cells of the reservoir model and wherein the well model comprises an associated system of equations that accounts for at least flow of gas between the hydraulic fracture and the well and between the reservoir and the hydraulic fracture based at least in part on pressures in the reservoir model; and
solve the system of equations for the well model to generate a solution.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19 wherein the well model comprises a plurality of hydraulic fractures that intersect the well.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Bowen Garfield
• Stone Terry Wayne

Classifications

• E21B49/00 Primary

  Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells · CPC title

• E21B43/26 Primary

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title