scholarly journals Influence of reservoir lithology on porous flow resistance of gas-bearing tight oil reservoirs and production forecast

Author(s):  
Yuan Rao ◽  
Zhengming Yang ◽  
Lijing Chang ◽  
Yapu Zhang ◽  
Zhenkai Wu ◽  
...  

AbstractThe release of dissolved gas during the development of gas-bearing tight oil reservoirs has a great influence on the effect of development. In this article, the high-pressure mercury intrusion experiment was carried out in cores from different regions and lithologies of the Ordos Basin and the Sichuan Basin. The objectives are to study the microscopic characteristics of the porous throat structure of these reservoirs and to analyze the porous flow resistance laws of different lithology by conducting a resistance gradient test experiment. A mathematical model is established and the oil production index is corrected according to the experiment results to predict the oil production. The experimental results show that for tight reservoirs in the same area and lithology, the lower the permeability under the same back pressure, the greater the resistance gradient. And for sandstone reservoirs in different areas, the resistance gradients have little difference and the changes in the resistance coefficients are similar. However, limestone under the same conditions supports a much higher resistance gradient than sandstone reservoirs. Furthermore, the experimental results are consistent with the theoretical analysis indicating that the PVT (pressure–volume-temperature) characteristics in the nanoscale pores are different from those measured in the high-temperature, high-pressure sampler. Only when the pressure is less than a certain value of the bubble point pressure, the dissolved gas will begin to separate and generate resistance. This pressure is lower than the bubble point pressure measured in the high-temperature and pressure sampler. The calculation results show that the heterogeneity of limestone reservoirs and the mismatch of fluid storage and flow space will make the resistance, generated by the separation of dissolved gas, have a greater impact on oil production.

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3121
Author(s):  
Yuan Rao ◽  
Zhengming Yang ◽  
Yapu Zhang ◽  
Zhenkai Wu ◽  
Yutian Luo ◽  
...  

The separation of solution gas has great influence on the development of gas-bearing tight oil reservoirs. In this study, physical simulation and high-pressure mercury intrusion were used to establish a method for determining the porous flow resistance gradient of gas-bearing tight oil reservoirs. A mathematical model suitable for injection–production well networks is established based on the streamline integral method. The concept of pseudo-bubble point pressure is proposed. The experimental results show that as the back pressure decreases from above the bubble point pressure to below the bubble point pressure, the solution gas separates out. During this process, the porous flow resistance gradient is initially equal to the threshold pressure gradient of the oil single-phase fluid, then it becomes relatively small and stable, and finally it increases rapidly and exponentially. The lower the permeability, the higher the pseudo-bubble point pressure, and the higher the resistance gradient under the same back pressure. For tight reservoirs, the production pressure should be maintained above the pseudo-bubble point pressure when the permeability is lower than a certain value. When the permeability is higher than a certain value, the pressure can be reduced below the pseudo-bubble point pressure, and there is a reasonable range. The mathematical results show that after degassing, the oil production rate and the effective utilization coefficient of oil wells decline rapidly. These declines occur later and have a flat trend for high permeability formations, and the production well pressure can be reduced to a lower level. Fracturing can effectively increase the oil production rate after degassing. A formation that cannot be utilized before fracturing because of the blocked throats due to the separation of the solution gas can also be utilized after fracturing. When the production well pressure is lower than the bubble point pressure, which is not too large, the fracturing effect is better.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Boeije ◽  
Pacelli Zitha ◽  
Anne Pluymakers

<p>Geothermal energy, the extraction of hot water from the subsurface (500 m to 5 km deep), is generally considered one of the key technologies to achieve the demands of the energy transition.  One of the main problems during production of geothermal waters is degassing. Many subsurface waters contain substantial amounts of dissolved gasses. As the hot water travels up the production well, the pressure and/or temperature drop will cause dissolved gas to come out of the solution. This causes several problems, such as corrosion of the facilities (due to pH changes and/or degassing-related precipitation) and in some cases even to blocking of the reservoir as the free gas limits the water flow.  To better understand under which conditions free gas nucleates, we need confirmation of theoretical bubble point pressure and temperature, and understand what controls the evolution of the bubble front:  i.e. what are the conditions under which free gas emerges from the solution and at what rate are bubbles created?</p><p>An experimental setup was designed in which the degassing process can be observed visually. The setup consists of a high-pressure visual cell which contains water saturated with dissolved gas at high-pressure. The pressure within the cell can be reduced in a reproducible manner using a back-pressure regulator at the outlet of the system. A high-speed camera paired with a uniform LED light source is used to record the degassing process. The pressure in the cell is monitored using a pressure transducer which is synchronized with the camera. The resulting images are then analysed using a MATLAB routine, which allows for determination of the bubble point pressure and rate of bubble formation.</p><p>The first two sets of experiments at ambient temperatures (~20 <sup>o</sup>C) were carried out using two different gases, N<sub>2</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub>. Initial pressure was 70 and 30 bar for the N<sub>2</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> experiments respectively. In these first experiments we determined the influence of the initial fluid used to pressurize the system. Using gas as the initial fluid causes a large amount of bubbles, whereas only a single bubble was observed for a system where degassed water is used as the initial fluid. An intermediate system where degassed water is pumped into a system full of air at ambient conditions and is subsequently pressurized yields a number of bubbles in between the two systems described previously. All three methods give reproducible bubble point pressures within 2 bar (i.e. pressure where the first free bubble is formed). There are clear differences in bubble point between N<sub>2</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub>.</p><p>A series of follow-up experiments is planned that will investigate specific properties at more extreme conditions: at higher pressures (up to 500 bar) and temperatures (500 <sup>o</sup>C) and using high-salinity brines (2.5 M).</p>


Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenxiang Chen ◽  
Zubo Zhang ◽  
Qingjie Liu ◽  
Xu Chen ◽  
Prince Opoku Appau ◽  
...  

Oil production by natural energy of the reservoir is usually the first choice for oil reservoir development. Conversely, to effectively develop tight oil reservoir is challenging due to its ultra-low formation permeability. A novel platform for experimental investigation of oil recovery from tight sandstone oil reservoirs by pressure depletion has been proposed in this paper. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of pressure depletion degree, pressure depletion rate, reservoir temperature, overburden pressure, formation pressure coefficient and crude oil properties on oil recovery by reservoir pressure depletion. In addition, the characteristics of pressure propagation during the reservoir depletion process were monitored and studied. The experimental results showed that oil recovery factor positively correlated with pressure depletion degree when reservoir pressure was above the bubble point pressure. Moreover, equal pressure depletion degree led to the same oil recovery factor regardless of different pressure depletion rate. However, it was noticed that faster pressure drop resulted in a higher oil recovery rate. For oil reservoir without dissolved gas (dead oil), oil recovery was 2–3% due to the limited reservoir natural energy. In contrast, depletion from live oil reservoir resulted in an increased recovery rate ranging from 11% to 18% due to the presence of dissolved gas. This is attributed to the fact that when reservoir pressure drops below the bubble point pressure, the dissolved gas expands and pushes the oil out of the rock pore spaces which significantly improves the oil recovery. From the pressure propagation curve, the reason for improved oil recovery is that when the reservoir pressure is lower than the bubble point pressure, the dissolved gas constantly separates and provides additional pressure gradient to displace oil. The present study will help engineers to have a better understanding of the drive mechanisms and influencing factors that affect development of tight oil reservoirs, especially for predicting oil recovery by reservoir pressure depletion.


Open Physics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 412-418
Author(s):  
Xiao Qianhua ◽  
Wang Zhiyuan ◽  
Yang Zhengming ◽  
Liu Xuewei ◽  
Wei Yunyun

Abstract The variation of porous flow resistance of solution-gas drive for tight oil reservoirs has been studied by designing new experimental equipment. The results show that the relation between the porous flow resistance gradient and pressure is the exponential function. The solution-gas driving resistance is determined by a combination of factors, such as the gas-oil ratio, density, viscosity, permeability, porosity and the Jamin effect. Based on the material balance and the flow resistance gradient equation, a new governing equation for solution-gas drive is established. After coupling with the nonlinear equation of elastic drive, the drainage radius of solution-gas drive is found to be very small and decreases rapidly when the bottom-hole pressure approaches the bubble-point value. Pressure distribution of the solution-gas drive is non-linear, and the values decrease sharply as it approaches the well bore. The productivity is rather low despite being strongly influenced by permeability. Therefore, stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) is the essential measure taken for effective development for tight oil reservoirs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuhui Dai ◽  
Chunqiang Chen ◽  
Hao Wang ◽  
Zhaohui Fu ◽  
Dameng Liu

In order to improve the recovery rate, fractured horizontal wells are widely used in tight reservoirs. In general, a complex fracture system is generated in tight reservoirs to improve oil production. Based on the fractal theory, a semianalytical model is presented to simulate a complex fracture system by using the volumetric source method and superposition principle, and the solutions are determined iteratively. The reliability of this model is validated through numerical simulation (Eclipse 2011); it shows that the result from this method is identical with that from the numerical simulation. The study on influence factors of this model was focused on matrix permeability, fractal dimension, and half-length of main fracture. The results show that (1) the production increases with the increase of half-length of main fracture and matrix permeability during the initial production stage, but the production difference becomes smaller in different half-length of main fractures and matrix permeability in middle and later stages and (2) the cumulative production increases with the increase of fractal dimension, and the increments of cumulative production in different fractal dimensions gradually increase during the initial production stage, but the increments tend to be stable in middle and later stages. This study can be used for forecasting the oil production from bottom water tight oil reservoirs with complex hydraulic fractures. It can also guide in optimization of horizontal well fracturing design to improve oil production and oil recovery in bottom water tight oil reservoirs.


Author(s):  
Qianhua Xiao ◽  
Zhengming Yang ◽  
Xiangui Liu ◽  
Xiong Wei ◽  
Yanzhang Huang

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 4199
Author(s):  
Liu Yang ◽  
Shuo Wang ◽  
Zhigang Tao ◽  
Ruixi Leng ◽  
Jun Yang

In tight oil reservoirs, water imbibition is the key mechanism to improve oil production during shut-in operations. However, the complex microstructure and composition of minerals complicate the interpretation of oil migration during water imbibition. In this study, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) T2 spectra was used to monitor the oil migration dynamics in tight oil reservoirs. The factors influencing pore size distribution, micro-fractures, and clay minerals were systematically investigated. The results show that the small pores corresponded to a larger capillary pressure and a stronger imbibition capacity, expelling the oil into the large pores. The small pores had a more effective oil recovery than the large pores. As the soaking time increases, the water preferentially entered the natural micro-fractures, expelling the oil in the micro-fractures. Subsequently, the oil in the small pores was slowly expelled. Compared with the matrix pores, natural micro-fractures had a smaller flow resistance and were more conducive to water and oil flow. Clay minerals may have induced micro-fracture propagation, which can act as the oil migration channels during water imbibition. In contrary to the inhibitory effect of natural micro-fractures, the new micro-fractures could contribute to the oil migration from small pores into large pores. This study characterized the oil migration characteristics and provides new insight into tight oil production.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salaheldin Elkatatny ◽  
Rami Aloosh ◽  
Zeeshan Tariq ◽  
Mohamed Mahmoud ◽  
Abdulazeez Abdulraheem

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