FCMG CHAIR CARBONATE RESERVOIR SIMULATION

S. Geiger1,2, S. Agada1, M. Ahmed1, N. Akhimiona1, R. Annewandter1, S. Chandra1,2, M.I.J. van Dijke1,2, C. Fricke1, Z. Jiang1,2, H. Kouevi3, L. de Lima1,2, C. Maier1, A. Mangione1,2, T. Pak2, J. Shaw-Stewart2, D. Stone3
1Institute

of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, U.K.

2International

Centre for Carbonate Reservoirs

3Department

of Mathematics, Heriot-Watt University

Email: sebastian.geiger@pet.hw.ac.uk

Web: http://comphg.wikidot.com

THE CHALLENGE
Carbonate reservoirs hold over 60% of the worlds remaining oil reserves and account for over 30% of the worlds oil production. Recovery factors from carbonate reservoirs are often low (10 to 20%) due to their multiscale heterogeneity and complex wettability. A small (1-2%) increase in recovery will impact global hydrocarbon resources. Advances in flow prediction and recovery will be among the most significant developments for the oil and gas industry in the next decade. A key challenge is to understand from poreto field-scale where residual oil is located and to predict how it can be mobilised best.

SIMULATING IOR AND EOR IN CARBONATES SELECTED RESEARCH EXAMPLES

Outcrop analogue Complex small-scale structures Model of the matrix properties of the Teapot Dome oil field (A fractured dolomite and sandstone reservoir in Wyoming) Fracture intensity models at Teapot Dome
High Medium to High Low to Medium Low

DFN model

Assisted history matching of liquid and water rates

x = y = 100 ft

Carbonate reservoirs contain highly complex geological structures. We use high-resolution outcrop analogues to analyse which geological features have the greatest impact on a given IOR or EOR scheme and develop new reservoir characterisation approaches such as nearwellbore modelling to capture these heterogeneities at the field-scale.
Multi-scale carbonate kro Single-scale carbonate

x = y = 200 ft

Best-case fracture permeability after history matching krg

x = y = 200 ft kx
WAG - Empirical Model (Stone I) WAG - Empirical Model (Stone II) WAG - Network model

Physically informed multi-rate dual-porosity models

Few small matrix blocks

x = y = 100 ft ky kx ky

Uniform matrix

krw

Few large matrix blocks

Typical multi-scale and sub-grid heterogeneity encountered in a carbonate reservoir. Fracture picture courtesy of H. Boro, Amsterdam. Pore-scale picture from Cantrell & Hagerty (1999).

Many carbonate reservoirs are now considered for EOR (e.g. WAG). We develop digital rock physics tools to estimate two- and three-phase flow properties in multi-scale carbonates with arbitrary wettability and demonstrate how they can be used in field-scale reservoir simulations.

Most carbonate reservoirs contain fractures, which are the primary pathways for fluid flow. We have previously shown that upscaling discrete fracture networks (DFN) can introduce an error that is larger than the geological uncertainty. Here we demonstrate that this error cannot be corrected using state-of-the-art assisted history matching approaches and physically informed transfer functions are key to model fracture-matrix fluid exchange accurately.

OUR VISION AND MISSION

To develop innovative and practical solutions that provide a step-change in carbonate reservoir modelling and simulation. To work interdisciplinary and bridge gaps between disparate scientific fields. To form strategic industry-academic alliances that ensure efficient knowledge transfer. To train a new generation of world-leading carbonate reservoir engineers.

KEY OUTPUTS 2012/2013

Graduated 1 PhD student (current employer PDO). Supervised and graduated 9 MSc students. Published 11 peer-reviewed papers (1 in press). Published 12 conference papers (SPE and EAGE). Launched the Rapid Reservoir Modelling (RRM) Consortium with Drs. Mario Costa Sousa, Leonardo Guimaraes, and Matt Jackson (Imperial College) Launched the UK-wide industry-academic research network Porous Media Processes and Mathematics

A major outreach activity of the FCMG Chair in 2012 was the joint AAPG-SPE-SEG Hedberg Research Conference. It was chaired by Dr Susan Agar (ExxonMobil) and Sebastian Geiger and attended by 87 scientists from industry and academia.