Book Synopsis Parallel, Multigrid Finite Element Simulator for Fractured by :
Download or read book Parallel, Multigrid Finite Element Simulator for Fractured written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Black-oil, compositional and thermal simulators have been developed to address different physical processes in reservoir simulation. A number of different types of discretization methods have also been proposed to address issues related to representing the complex reservoir geometry. These methods are more significant for fractured reservoirs where the geometry can be particularly challenging. In this project, a general modular framework for reservoir simulation was developed, wherein the physical models were efficiently decoupled from the discretization methods. This made it possible to couple any discretization method with different physical models. Oil characterization methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and it is possible to construct geologically constrained models of faulted/fractured reservoirs. Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) simulation provides the option of performing multiphase calculations on spatially explicit, geologically feasible fracture sets. Multiphase DFN simulations of and sensitivity studies on a wide variety of fracture networks created using fracture creation/simulation programs was undertaken in the first part of this project. This involved creating interfaces to seamlessly convert the fracture characterization information into simulator input, grid the complex geometry, perform the simulations, and analyze and visualize results. Benchmarking and comparison with conventional simulators was also a component of this work. After demonstration of the fact that multiphase simulations can be carried out on complex fracture networks, quantitative effects of the heterogeneity of fracture properties were evaluated. Reservoirs are populated with fractures of several different scales and properties. A multiscale fracture modeling study was undertaken and the effects of heterogeneity and storage on water displacement dynamics in fractured basements were investigated. In gravity-dominated systems, more oil could be recovered at a given pore volume of injection at lower rates. However, if oil production can be continued at high water cuts, the discounted cumulative production usually favors higher production rates. The workflow developed during the project was also used to perform multiphase simulations in heterogeneous, fracture-matrix systems. Compositional and thermal-compositional simulators were developed for fractured reservoirs using the generalized framework. The thermal-compositional simulator was based on a novel 'equation-alignment' approach that helped choose the correct variables to solve depending on the number of phases present and the prescribed component partitioning. The simulators were used in steamflooding and in insitu combustion applications. The framework was constructed to be inherently parallel. The partitioning routines employed in the framework allowed generalized partitioning on highly complex fractured reservoirs and in instances when wells (incorporated in these models as line sources) were divided between two or more processors.
