scholarly journals Prediction of Production Performance of Refractured Shale Gas Well considering Coupled Multiscale Gas Flow and Geomechanics

Geofluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiqiang Li ◽  
Zhilin Qi ◽  
Wende Yan ◽  
Zuping Xiang ◽  
Xiang Ao ◽  
...  

Production simulation is an important method to evaluate the stimulation effect of refracturing. Therefore, a production simulation model based on coupled fluid flow and geomechanics in triple continuum including kerogen, an inorganic matrix, and a fracture network is proposed considering the multiscale flow characteristics of shale gas, the induced stress of fracture opening, and the pore elastic effect. The complex transport mechanisms due to multiple physics, including gas adsorption/desorption, slip flow, Knudsen diffusion, surface diffusion, stress sensitivity, and adsorption layer are fully considered in this model. The apparent permeability is used to describe the multiple physics occurring in the matrix. The model is validated using actual production data of a horizontal shale gas well and applied to predict the production and production increase percentage (PIP) after refracturing. A sensitivity analysis is performed to study the effects of the refracturing pattern, fracture conductivity, width of stimulated reservoir volume (SRV), SRV length of new and initial fractures, and refracturing time on production and the PIP. In addition, the effects of multiple physics on the matrix permeability and production, and the geomechanical effects of matrix and fracture on production are also studied. The research shows that the refracturing design parameters have an important influence on the PIP. The geomechanical effect is an important cause of production loss, while slippage and diffusion effects in matrix can offset the production loss.

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noam Lior

The objectives of this study are to (a) evaluate the exergy and energy demand for constructing a hydrofractured shale gas well and determine its typical exergy and energy returns on investment (ExROI and EROI), and (b) compute the gas flow and intrinsic exergy analysis in the shale gas matrix and created fractures. An exergy system analysis of construction of a typical U.S. shale gas well, which includes the processes and materials exergies (embodied exergy) for drilling, casing and cementing, and hydrofracturing (“fracking”), was conducted. A gas flow and intrinsic exergy numerical simulation and analysis in a gas-containing hydrofractured shale reservoir with its formed fractures was then performed, resulting in the time- and two-dimensional (2D) space-dependent pressure, velocity, and exergy loss fields in the matrix and fractures. The key results of the system analysis show that the total exergy consumption for constructing the typical hydrofractured shale gas well is 35.8 TJ, 49% of which is used for all the drilling needed for the well and casings and further 48% are used for the hydrofracturing. The embodied exergy of all construction materials is about 9.8% of the total exergy consumption. The ExROI for the typical range of shale gas wells in the U.S. was found to be 7.3–87.8. The embodied energy of manufactured materials is significantly larger than their exergy, so the total energy consumption is about 8% higher than the exergy consumption. The intrinsic exergy analysis showed, as expected, very slow (order of 10−9 m/s) gas flow velocities through the matrix, and consequently very small flow exergy losses. It clearly points to the desirability of exploring fracking methods that increase the number and length of effective fractures, and they increase well productivity with a relatively small flow exergy penalty.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 3381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Wang ◽  
Yongquan Hu ◽  
Jinzhou Zhao ◽  
Lan Ren ◽  
Chaoneng Zhao ◽  
...  

Based on fractal geometry theory, the Hagen–Poiseuille law, and the Langmuir adsorption law, this paper established a mathematical model of gas flow in nano-pores of shale, and deduced a new shale apparent permeability model. This model considers such flow mechanisms as pore size distribution, tortuosity, slippage effect, Knudsen diffusion, and surface extension of shale matrix. This model is closely related to the pore structure and size parameters of shale, and can better reflect the distribution characteristics of nano-pores in shale. The correctness of the model is verified by comparison with the classical experimental data. Finally, the influences of pressure, temperature, integral shape dimension of pore surface and tortuous fractal dimension on apparent permeability, slip flow, Knudsen diffusion and surface diffusion of shale gas transport mechanism on shale gas transport capacity are analyzed, and gas transport behaviors and rules in multi-scale shale pores are revealed. The proposed model is conducive to a more profound and clear understanding of the flow mechanism of shale gas nanopores.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuelei Feng ◽  
Fengshan Ma ◽  
Haijun Zhao ◽  
Gang Liu ◽  
Jie Guo

Gas flow mechanisms and apparent permeability are important factors for predicating gas production in shale reservoirs. In this study, an apparent permeability model for describing gas multiple flow mechanisms in nanopores is developed and incorporated into the COMSOL solver. In addition, a dynamic permeability equation is proposed to analyze the effects of matrix shrinkage and stress sensitivity. The results indicate that pore size enlargement increases gas seepage capacity of a shale reservoir. Compared to conventional reservoirs, the ratio of apparent permeability to Darcy permeability is higher by about 1–2 orders of magnitude in small pores (1–10 nm) and at low pressures (0–5 MPa) due to multiple flow mechanisms. Flow mechanisms mainly include surface diffusion, Knudsen diffusion, and skip flow. Its weight is affected by pore size, reservoir pressure, and temperature, especially pore size ranging from 1 nm to 5 nm and reservoir pressures below 5 MPa. The combined effects of matrix shrinkage and stress sensitivity induce nanopores closure. Therefore, permeability declines about 1 order of magnitude compare to initial apparent permeability. The results also show that permeability should be adjusted during gas production to ensure a better accuracy.


Fractals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (06) ◽  
pp. 1850096 ◽  
Author(s):  
WEIPENG FAN ◽  
HAI SUN ◽  
JUN YAO ◽  
DONGYAN FAN ◽  
KAI ZHANG

Duo to different transport mechanisms and gas storage in organic and inorganic systems, a new triple-continuum model coupling Discrete Fracture Model (DFM) was established to investigate gas flow in shale gas reservoir. Considering the multi-scale and heterogeneity of shale matrix, fractal theory was used to calculate the apparent permeability of organic and inorganic systems while multiple gas transport mechanisms such as viscous flow, Knudsen diffusion, surface diffusion, gas absorption/desorption effect and real gas effect were incorporated. This coupled mathematical model was solved by Finite Element Method (FEM) and the presented fractal apparent permeability model was validated with the experimental data. The results show that fractal characteristics of shale matrix have great impact on gas reservoir performance. The model without considering the influence of fractal characteristics could lead to underestimate gas production by approximately 17%. Viscous flow is the dominate transport mechanisms of shale gas and Knudsen diffusion has an impact on gas flow when the pressure declines. Surface diffusion should be only considered in organic systems and can be ignored. Then the results of sensitivity analysis show that the characteristic parameters of inorganic matter have a greater impact than those of organic matter and establishing a triple-continuum model with considering comprehensive effect of organic and inorganic matter is necessary. In addition, gas production would decrease as the pore fractal dimension and tortuosity fractal dimension increase, which results from the increasing number of small pores and more tortuous path for gas flow.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xun Yan ◽  
Jing Sun ◽  
Dehua Liu

The complexity of the gas transport mechanism in microfractures and nanopores is caused by the feature of multiscale and multiphysics. Figuring out the flow mechanism is of great significance for the efficient development of shale gas. In this paper, an apparent permeability model which covers continue, slip, transition, and molecular flow and geomechanical effect was presented. Additionally, a mathematical model comprising multiscale, geomechanics, and adsorption phenomenon was proposed to characterize gas flow in the shale reservoir. The aim of this paper is to investigate some important impacts in the process of gas transportation, which includes the shale stress sensitivity, adsorption phenomenon, and reservoir porosity. The results reveal that the performance of the multistage fractured horizontal well is strongly influenced by stress sensitivity coefficient. The cumulative gas production will decrease sharply when the shale gas reservoir stress sensitivity coefficient increases. In addition, the adsorption phenomenon has an influence on shale gas seepage and sorption capacity; however, the effect of adsorption is very weak in the early gas transport period, and the impact of later will increase. Moreover, shale porosity also greatly affects the shale gas transportation.


Fractals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (01) ◽  
pp. 2050017 ◽  
Author(s):  
TAO WU ◽  
SHIFANG WANG

A better comprehension of the behavior of shale gas transport in shale gas reservoirs will aid in predicting shale gas production rates. In this paper, an analytical apparent permeability expression for real gas is derived on the basis of the fractal theory and Fick’s law, with adequate consideration of the effects of Knudsen diffusion, surface diffusion and flexible pore shape. The gas apparent permeability model is found to be a function of microstructural parameters of shale reservoirs, gas property, Langmuir pressure, shale reservoir temperature and pressure. The results show that the apparent permeability increases with the increase of pore area fractal dimension and the maximum effective pore radius and decreases with an increase of the tortuosity fractal dimension; the effects of Knudsen diffusion and surface diffusion on the total apparent permeability cannot be ignored under high-temperature and low-pressure circumstances. These findings can contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism of gas transport in shale reservoirs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Pang ◽  
Di Luo ◽  
Haohong Gao ◽  
Jie Liang ◽  
Yuanyuan Huang ◽  
...  

Geofluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Bo-ning Zhang ◽  
Xiao-gang Li ◽  
Yu-long Zhao ◽  
Cheng Chang ◽  
Jian Zheng

The application of horizontal wells with multistage hydraulic fracturing technologies has made the development of shale gas reservoirs become a worldwide economical hotspot in recent years. The gas transport mechanisms in shale gas reservoirs are complicated, due to the multiple types of pores with complex pore structure and special process of gas accumulation and transport. Although there have been many attempts to come up with a suitable and practical mathematical model to characterize the shale gas flow process, no unified model has yet been accepted by academia. In this paper, a comprehensive literature review on the mathematical models developed in recent years for describing gas flow in shale gas reservoirs is summarized. Five models incorporating different transport mechanisms are reviewed, including gas viscous flow in natural fractures or macropores, gas ad-desorption on shale organic, gas slippage, diffusion (Knudsen diffusion, Fick diffusion, and surface diffusion), stress dependence, real gas effect, and adsorption layer effect in the nanoshale matrix system, which is quite different from conventional gas reservoir. This review is very helpful to understand the complex gas flow behaviors in shale gas reservoirs and guide the efficient development of shale gas. In addition to the model description, we depicted the type curves of fractured horizontal well with different seepage models. From the review, it can be found that there is some misunderstanding about the essence of Knudsen/Fick diffusion and slippage, which makes different scholars adopt different weighting methods to consider them. Besides, the contribution of each mechanism on the transport mechanisms is still controversial, which needs further in-depth study in the future.


Lithosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (Special 4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidong Fang ◽  
Cheng Dai ◽  
Junsheng Zeng ◽  
Heng Li

Abstract In this paper, the development of a three-dimensional, two-phase fluid flow model (Modified Embedded Discrete Fracture Model) to study flow performances of a fractured horizontal well in deep-marine shale gas is presented. Deep-marine shale gas resources account for nearly 80% in China, which is the decisive resource basis for large-scale shale gas production. The dynamic characteristics of deep shale gas reservoirs are quite different and more complex. This paper uses the embedded discrete fracture model to simulate artificial fractures (main fractures and secondary fractures) and the dual-media model to simulate the mixed fractured media of natural fractures and considers the flow characteristics of partitions (artificial fractures, natural fractures, and matrix). Gas desorption is considered in the matrix. Different degrees of stress sensitivity are considered for natural and artificial fractures. Aiming at accurately simulating the whole production history of horizontal well fracturing, especially the dynamic changes of postfracturing flowback, a postfracturing fluid initialization method based on fracturing construction parameters (fracturing fluid volume and pump stop pressure) is established. The flow of gas and water in the early stage after fracturing is simulated, and the regional phase permeability and capillary force curves are introduced to simulate the process of flowback and production of horizontal wells after fracturing. The influence of early fracture closure on the gas-water flow is characterized by stress sensitivity. A deep shale gas reservoir of Sinopec was selected for the case study. The simulation results show it necessary to consider the effects of fractures and stress sensitivity in the matrix when considering the dynamic change of production during the flowback and production stages. The findings of this study can help for better understanding of the fracture distribution characteristics of shale gas, shale gas production principle, and well EUR prediction, which provide a theoretical basis for the effective development of shale gas horizontal well groups.


2022 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Guo ◽  
Xiaowei Zhang ◽  
Rongze Yu ◽  
Lixia Kang ◽  
Jinliang Gao ◽  
...  

The flow of shale gas in nano scale pores is affected by multiple physical phenomena. At present, the influence of multiple physical phenomena on the transport mechanism of gas in nano-pores is not clear, and a unified mathematical model to describe these multiple physical phenomena is still not available. In this paper, an apparent permeability model was established, after comprehensively considering three gas flow mechanisms in shale matrix organic pores, including viscous slippage Flow, Knudsen diffusion and surface diffusion of adsorbed gas, and real gas effect and confinement effect, and at the same time considering the effects of matrix shrinkage, stress sensitivity, adsorption layer thinning, confinement effect and real gas effect on pore radius. The contribution of three flow mechanisms to apparent permeability under different pore pressure and pore size is analyzed. The effects of adsorption layer thinning, stress sensitivity, matrix shrinkage effect, real gas effect and confinement effect on apparent permeability were also systematically analyzed. The results show that the apparent permeability first decreases and then increases with the decrease of pore pressure. With the decrease of pore pressure, matrix shrinkage, Knudsen diffusion, slippage effect and surface diffusion effect increase gradually. These four effects will not only make up for the permeability loss caused by stress sensitivity and adsorption layer, but also significantly increase the permeability. With the decrease of pore radius, the contribution of slippage flow decreases, and the contributions of Knudsen diffusion and surface diffusion increase gradually. With the decrease of pore radius and the increase of pore pressure, the influence of real gas effect and confinement effect on permeability increases significantly. Considering real gas and confinement effect, the apparent permeability of pores with radius of 5 nm is increased by 13.2%, and the apparent permeability of pores with radius of 1 nm is increased by 61.3%. The apparent permeability model obtained in this paper can provide a theoretical basis for more accurate measurement of permeability of shale matrix and accurate evaluation of productivity of shale gas horizontal wells.


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