Mechanistic 3D finite-difference simulation of borehole spontaneous potential measurements

Geophysics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. D105-D119
Author(s):  
Joshua Bautista-Anguiano ◽  
Carlos Torres-Verdín ◽  
Joachim Strobel

The quantitative interpretation of borehole spontaneous potential (SP) measurements via Nernst’s equation often relies on limiting assumptions such as shallow mud-filtrate invasion, negligible streaming potentials, and uniform borehole symmetry. To overcome these limitations while honoring the governing physics of coupled mass transport associated with SP phenomena, we have developed a 3D finite-difference algorithm to simulate borehole SP measurements acquired across water-bearing rocks that incorporates electrochemical, membrane, and electrokinetic SP. The algorithm is based on a mechanistic description of nonequilibrium thermodynamics that enables its coupling with a fluid flow simulator to quantify the effects of continuously varying properties within permeable formations due to mud-filtrate invasion. Numerical modeling of SP measurements acquired under complex petrophysical and geometric conditions enables uncertainty quantification in the estimation of formation-water resitivity, location of bed boundaries, or detection of permeable beds while accounting for shoulder-bed effects, borehole deviation, and borehole eccentricity. Our results indicate that for well trajectories with a relative dip of less than 30°, the assumption of perpendicular beds does not entail significant errors in SP-related calculations, thereby reducing CPU time by a factor of at least 1.76. In vertical wells, SP provides the best resolution possible because deviated wells or dipping beds result in more extended and pronounced shoulder-bed effects. Furthermore, electrokinetic effects can be neglected for commonly used pressure overbalance ranges. In cases in which electrokinetic contributions are not negligible, we conclude that they are more significant when the rock permeability is in the two-figure millidarcy range. Finally, the simulation algorithm enables hypothesis testing to determine the origin and conditions under which SP shale-baseline shifts may occur. The latter shifts can signal vertical variations in salt concentration, which are crucial in the estimation of water saturation and detection of aquifer compartments.

Geophysics ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. E21-E34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Liang ◽  
Aria Abubakar ◽  
Tarek M. Habashy

We introduce an inversion approach for determining the water-based mud-filtrate invasion profile, as well as the formation porosity and horizontal permeability, from the induction logging data. The inversion is constrained by a multiphase fluid flow simulator that simulates the mud-filtrate invasion process to obtain the spatial distributions of the water saturation and the salt concentration, which are in turn transformed into the formation resistivity using a resistivity-saturation formula. By ignoring the diffusion effect, we assume that the mud-filtrate invasion process is mainly convective so that it can be equivalently simulated by providing an average invasion rate and the duration of invasion. The average invasion rate can be directly inverted from the fluid-flow-constrained inversion of induction logging data. We also obtain the mud-filtrate invasion profile, which is consistent with the fluid flow physics. The reconstructed mud-filtrate invasion profile benefits the interpretation of the formation test. When the pressure transient data are available, this approach can be also used to jointly invert both induction logging data and pressure transient data to obtain the mud-filtrate invasion profile, as well as a parametric distribution of the TI-anisotropic formation permeability and porosity. Assuming a vertical well penetrating horizontal formations, the fluid flow problem is solved using an implicit black oil finite-difference simulator with brine tracking option based on a cylindrical, axially symmetric grid, whereas the response of the induction logging tool is simulated using a frequency-domain finite-difference solver based on a Cartesian grid. A Gauss-Newton inversion scheme using the multiplicative regularization technique is used for either the fluid-flow-constrained inversion or the joint inversion. The reliability of the inversion results depends on the accuracy of a priori knowledge of the reservoir, which needs to be confirmed via sensitivity analysis.


Geophysics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. D199-D217
Author(s):  
Joshua Bautista-Anguiano ◽  
Carlos Torres-Verdín

It has been previously shown that Nernst’s equation is not reliable for the interpretation of spontaneous potential (SP) measurements acquired in hydrocarbon-bearing rocks. We have examined whether the difference between borehole SP measurements and Nernst-equation predictions could be used to estimate in situ hydrocarbon saturation of porous rocks. For this purpose, a new petrophysical model and a mechanistic finite-difference algorithm for simulating SP borehole measurements in the presence of mud-filtrate invasion are used to establish the limits of detectability of hydrocarbon saturation using only SP logs. We find that the optimal conditions for the detection of hydrocarbon saturation from SP borehole measurements are when (1) capillary forces dominate the process of mud-filtrate invasion, (2) the matrix-pore interface region, known as the electrical double layer, has a relevant impact in the diffusion of counterions, and (3) the electrolyte concentration of drilling mud is greater than that of formation water. We also determine why high values of the endpoint of the water relative permeability favor the detection of hydrocarbon-saturated rocks with the SP log. Using measurements acquired in three key wells within a mature and active hydrocarbon field, three blind tests find that our petrophysical model together with the mechanistic SP simulation algorithm enable the estimation of hydrocarbon saturation from SP borehole measurements without the need for resistivity logs or porosity calculations. The estimation is reliable when the volumetric concentration of shale is negligible, the pore network structure is constant throughout the reservoir, and radial invasion profiles are similar to those observed in the calibration key wells.


Geophysics ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. E57-E73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús M. Salazar ◽  
Carlos Torres-Verdín

Some laboratory and qualitative studies have documented the influence of water-based mud(WBM)-filtrate invasion on borehole resistivity measurements. Negligible work, however, has been devoted to studying the effects of oil-based mud(OBM)-filtrate invasion on well logs and the corresponding impact on the estimation of petrophysical properties. We quantitatively compare the effects of WBM- and OBM-filtrate invasion on borehole resistivity measurements. We simulate the process of mud-filtrate invasion into a porous and permeable rock formation assuming 1D radial distributions of fluid saturation and fluid properties while other petrophysical properties remain constant. To simulate the process of mud-filtrate invasion, we calculate a time-dependent flow rate of OBM-filtrate invasion by adapting the available formulation of the physics of WBM-filtrate invasion. This approach includes the dynamically coupled effects of mud-cake growth and multiphase filtrate invasion. Simulations are performed with a commercial adaptive-implicit compositional formulation that enables the quantification of effects caused by additional components of mud-filtrate and native fluids. The formation under analysis is 100% water saturated (base case) andis invaded with a single-component OBM. Subsequently, we perform simulations of WBM filtrate invading the same formation assuming that it is hydrocarbon bearing, and compare the results to those obtained in the presence of OBM. At the end of this process, we invoke Archie’s equation to calculate the radial distribution of electrical resistivity from the simulated radial distributions of water saturation and salt concentration and compare the effects of invasion on borehole resistivity measurements acquired in the presence of OBM and WBM. Simulations confirm that the flow rate of OBM-filtrate invasion remains controlled by the initial mud-cake permeability and formation petrophysical properties, specifically capillary pressure and relative permeability. Moreover, WBM causes radial lengths of invasion 15%–40% larger than those associated with OBM as observed on the radial distributions of electrical resistivity. It is found also that, in general, flow rates of WBM-filtrate invasion are higher than those of OBM-filtrate invasion caused by viscosity contrasts between OBM filtrate and native fluids, which slow down the process of invasion. Such a conclusion is validated by the marginal variability of array-induction resistivity measurements observed in simulations of OBM invasion compared with those of WBM invasion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17
Author(s):  
Ayu Yuliani ◽  
Ordas Dewanto ◽  
Karyanto Karyanto ◽  
Ade Yogi

Determination of reservoir rock properties is very important to be able to understand the reservoir better. One of these rock properties is permeability. Permeability is the ability of a rock to pass fluid. In this study, the calculation of permeability was carried out using log and PGS (Pore Geometry Structure) methods based on core data, logs, and CT scans. In the log method, the calculation of permeability is done by petrophysical analysis which aims to evaluate the target zone formation in the form of calculation of the distribution of shale content (effective volume), effective porosity, water saturation, and permeability. Next, the determination of porosity values from CT Scan. Performed on 2 data cores of 20 tubes, each tube was plotted as many as 15 points. The output of this stage is the CT Porosity value that will be used for the distribution of predictions of PGS permeability values. In the PGS method, rock typing is based on geological descriptions, then calculation of permeability predictions. Using these two methods, permeability can be calculated in the study area. The results of log and PGS permeability calculations that show good correlation are the results of calculation of PGS permeability. It can be seen from the data from the calculation of PGS permeability approaching a gradient of one value with R2 of 0.906, it will increasingly approach the core rock permeability value. Whereas the log permeability calculation for core rock permeability is 0.845.


1978 ◽  
Vol 18 (05) ◽  
pp. 355-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kazemi ◽  
C.R. Vestal ◽  
Deane G. Shank

Original manuscript received in Society of Petroleum Engineers office Sept. 15, 1977. Paper accepted for publication April 21, 1978. Revised manuscript received July 27. 1978. Paper (SPE 6890) first presented at the SPE-AIME 52nd Annual Fall Technical Conference and Exhibition, held in Denver, Oct. 9-12, 1977. Abstract An efficient, three-dimensional three-phase, multicomponent, numerical reservoir simulator was developed to study petroleum reservoirs where interphase mass transfer is important. Flow equations have a volume balance on the water phase and a mole balance on the vapor-liquid hydrocarbon phases. Additional equations include the capillary phases. Additional equations include the capillary pressure, phase equilibrium, and saturation pressure, phase equilibrium, and saturation relations. Flow equations, in finite-difference form, are combined to obtain an implicit equation for the oil-phase pressure, an explicit equation for the over-all composition of each hydrocarbon component, an explicit water saturation equation, and explicit oil-gas saturation equations that satisfy thermo-dynamic equilibrium. Equations for oil pressure, water saturation, hydrocarbon compositions, and oil-gas saturations are sequentially solved in an iterative loop until convergence is achieved. The simplicity of the sequential solution algorithm presented here is believed to be a new contribution. Furthermore, if thermodynamic inconsistencies appear in the entry data, these can be detected readily from the pressure and other equations in the sequential pressure and other equations in the sequential algorithm. Introduction With deeper drilling, more reservoirs containing volatile crude oils and gas condensates have been found. To study the performance of such reservoirs and to assist in maximizing hydrocarbon recovery, compositional reservoir simulators are needed. These simulators account for multiphase flow and the interphase mass transfer of each component in the given hydrocarbon system. This simply means that at any given time the simulator tracks the motion of reservoir fluids and calculates the state of equilibrium at many strategic reservoir points (simulator nodes). Therefore, at each reservoir points the phase pressures, the phase saturations, the over-all composition, the mole fraction of each component in the liquid and in the vapor phase, and the liquid mole fraction are calculated with time. Several tank material-balance methods provided the early computational approach to reservoir performance predictions. The experience gained performance predictions. The experience gained in the formulation and in the use of the tank models became the foundation of our knowledge for developing the multidimensional compositional simulator of this paper. Four papers, using finite-difference computational schemes, were instrumental in helping us make the transition from the tank model to the multidimensional case. This paper provides formulation for a multicomponent numerical reservoir simulator. We have tried to provide the formulation with enough detail so that the reader can use it as an easily accessible starting point for his own research and development. This formulation is efficient in the sense that it is computationally less expensive than fully implicit schemes and can be used effectively for a wide range of practical problems. Quantitatively, for an N-component, three-phase (water, oil, and gas) system, 3N + 7 variables (Pw, Po, Pg, Sw, Sg, and xi, yi, zi, i = 1,2,....., N, Po, Pg, Sw, Sg, and xi, yi, zi, i = 1,2,....., N, and L) are usually determined at each reservoir node at any given time. For comparison, in a black-oil simulator, six variables (Pw, Po, Pg, Sw, So, and Sg) are calculated at each node. This comparison points out that a compositional reservoir simulator requires more bookkeeping and more storage. After we have described the details of the computation in later sections, it will be recognized that the computation time can be several-fold, too. However, an efficient mathematical scheme, such as the one presented here, brings the computation time close to that of a black-oil simulator. Flow equations have a volumetric balance on the water phase and a molar balance on the hydrocarbon phases. Hydrocarbon-phase equilibrium calculations phases. Hydrocarbon-phase equilibrium calculations use equilibrium ratios as a function of pressure and convergence pressure. Densities and viscosities are calculated in the most general case as functions of pressure and composition of the given phase. Flow equations are discretized in an implicit finite-difference form to obtain an implicit pressure equation, an explicit water-saturation equation, an explicit composition equation, and two explicit gas-oil saturation equations. SPEJ P. 355


Geophysics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 1104-1114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chester J. Weiss ◽  
Gregory A. Newman

The bulk electrical anisotropy of sedimentary formations is a macroscopic phenomenon which can result from the presence of porosity variations, laminated shaly sands, and water saturation. Accounting for its effect on induction log responses is an ongoing research problem for the well‐logging community since these types of sedimentary structures have long been correlated with productive hydrocarbon reservoirs such as the Jurassic Norphlet Sandstone and Permian Rotliegendes Sandstone. Presented here is a staggered‐grid finite‐difference method for simulating electromagnetic (EM) induction in a fully 3‐D anisotropic medium. The electrical conductivity of the formation is represented as a full 3 × 3 tensor whose elements can vary arbitrarily with position throughout the formation. To demonstrate the validity of this approach, finite‐difference results are compared against analytic and quasi‐analytic solutions for tractable 1‐D and 3‐D model geometries. As a final example, we simulate 2C–40 induction tool responses in a crossbedded aeolian sandstone to illustrate the magnitude of the challenge faced by interpreters when electrical anisotropy is neglected.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Jianhua Zhang ◽  
Zhenhua Liu

The process of drilling mud filtrate invading into a reservoir is time dependant. It causes dynamic invasion profiles of formation parameters such as water saturation, salinity, and formation resistivity. Thus, the responses of a high-definition induction log (HDIL) tool are time dependent. The logging time should be considered as an important parameter during logging interpretation for the purposes of determining true formation resistivity, estimating initial water saturation, and evaluating a reservoir. The time-dependent HDIL responses are helpful for log analysts to understand the invasion process physically. Field examples were illustrated for the application of present method.


Geophysics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 1386-1398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsili Wang ◽  
Sheng Fang

Electric anisotropy is considered an important property of hydrocarbon reservoirs. Its occurrence has great influence on estimation of formation water saturation and other properties derived from electromagnetic (EM) measurements. Conventional tools using coaxial coils often underestimate formation resistivity and thus overestimate water saturation. Multicomponent EM sensors provide the additional information needed for better resistivity‐based formation evaluation. We have developed a finite‐difference method to simulate multicomponent EM tools in a 3‐D anisotropic formation. The new method can model inhomogeneous media with arbitrary anisotropy. By using the coupled Maxwell’s equations, our method consumes about the same computational time to model an anisotropic formation as it would take to model an otherwise isotropic formation. We have verified the finite‐difference method using layered‐earth models that are typically encountered in hydrocarbon exploration and development. Our results show that the newly developed simulation algorithm produces accurate results for different borehole and formation conditions.


2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (03) ◽  
pp. 202-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandru T. Turta ◽  
Ashok K. Singhal ◽  
Jon Goldman ◽  
Litong Zhao

Summary A new waterflooding process, toe-to-heel waterflooding (TTHW), was developed, based partly on a recently developed thermal TTH displacement process, TTH air injection (THAI). TTHW is a novel oil-recovery process that uses a horizontal producer (HP) and a vertical injector (VI). The HP has its horizontal leg located at the top of formation, while its toe is close to the VI, which is perforated at the lower part of the formation. TTHW realizes a gravity-stable displacement, in which the water/oil mobility ratio becomes less important and its detrimental effect on sweep efficiency is diminished; the injected water always breaks through at the toe, after which water cut gradually increases. A systematic investigation of the TTHW process in a Hele-Shaw laboratory model mimicking a simulated porous medium showed that the process substantially improved the vertical sweep efficiency as compared to conventional waterflooding. Following these semiquantitative tests, a more comprehensive 3D-model testing was undertaken to investigate the overall sweep efficiency of the process. The 3D model consists of a metal box filled with glass beads and saturated with oil at connate-water saturation. Oil was displaced with high-salinity brine, either in a TTH configuration or in a conventional array, using only vertical wells. A staggered line drive was used by injecting water in two vertical wells located at one side of the box and producing oil by using either an HP with its toe close to the injection line or a vertical producer located at the HP's heel position. Several TTHW tests were carried out at different injection rates. For a given injection rate, the TTHW results were compared to those of conventional-waterflooding tests. For the same amount of water injected, the ultimate oil recovery increased by a factor of up to 2, as compared to that for conventional waterflooding. All in all, the results of these investigations show that the novel TTHW process is sound and can be optimized further. Introduction Conventional waterfloods in heavy-gravity-oil reservoirs (oil viscosity higher than 100 mPa.s) are limited by three main factors:• Reservoir heterogeneity, leading to water channelling.• Gravity segregation (caused by oil/water density contrast), leading to underriding of the injected water.• Highly unfavorable water/oil mobility ratio, which aggravates the adverse effects of the first two factors. Usually, the heterogeneity is caused by pronounced vertical stratification, manifested by a relatively large contrast in the horizontal permeability of different layers. On the other hand, the negative effect of gravity segregation is felt mainly when the stratification is not very pronounced and effective vertical permeability of the pay zone is relatively high. The effect of gravity segregation on waterflood performance was reported in 1953 when the first mathematical model of water tonguing (underriding) was published by Dietz (1953). Initially, Dietz's theory was believed to be applicable mostly to thick formations. However, subsequently, Outmans showed that this theory was equally applicable to thin oil formations (Sandrea and Nielsen 1974).


Geophysics ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. D181-D191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruo-Long Song ◽  
Ji-Sheng Liu ◽  
Xiu-Mei Lv ◽  
Xiu-Tian Yang ◽  
Ke-Xie Wang ◽  
...  

The cement-bond log (CBL) is a conventional and widely used cement quality evaluation technology for vertical wells. With the increase in horizontal wells around the world, the existing cement evaluation technologies are not appropriate. We have explored the possibilities of utilizing CBL in horizontal wells through investigating the effects of a noncentralized tool on CBL measurements. The parallel finite-difference numerical simulation method and experiments in calibration wells were adopted in the study. The numerical and experimental results matched very well, and indicated that the CBL amplitude decreases linearly with increasing tool eccentricity in a well with free pipe (i.e., a cased but uncemented well). For a standard pipe with a diameter of 5.5 in (139.7 mm) and a thickness of 7.72 mm, an eccentricity of [Formula: see text] (17% of the maximum eccentricity) could cause the CBL amplitude to be reduced by about 20%. The numerical simulations of CBL in wells with fluid channels in the cement showed that tool eccentralization could either increase or reduce the CBL amplitude relative to a centered tool, depending on the channel azimuth relative to eccentered direction. To explain this phenomenon, we investigated numerically the polarizations of casing waves in a well with free pipe and in a well with a fluid channel, and casing waves at higher frequencies in a well with free pipe. The relationship between the CBL amplitude and the percentage of cemented area for a borehole-centered tool was also studied. Our results provided some insights into understanding CBL measurements in horizontal wells.


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