Abstract
Highly permeable discrete fractures are often observed in sandstone and carbonate formations. However, the impacts of these fractures on the productivity index of a vertical well are poorly understood. In this paper, we present a new uniform-flux fracture solution derived by integrating an eccentric point source in a pseudo-steady state within a circular reservoir. Moreover, we establish a new model of fluid flow in a uniform-flux fracture. We then integrate the fracture solution and flow model into a semi-analytical model capable of calculating the productivity index of a vertical well near discrete fractures in a circular reservoir. Finally, we discuss the effect of discrete fractures on the productivity index in detail. Our results show that, for a single-fracture-well system, the well-fracture distance and fracture conductivity exert significant influences on the productivity index of the well. The maximum productivity index of a vertical well can be achieved if the well is drilled on a discrete fracture, and the productivity index decreases with increasing well-fracture distance and falling fracture conductivity. The effect of fracture conductivity on the productivity index of a vertical well can be ignored if the distance between the well and the fracture is greater than a certain value. At large conductivity values, the dimensionless fracture-well distance d1D has a much greater impact on the productivity index than the fracture conductivity. For a double-fracture-well system, strong interference between fractures will reduce the increment of the productivity index associated with the second fracture if two parallel fractures are very close. If the distance is larger, the effect of fractures on the productivity index can be ignored. The closest fracture to the vertical well contributes the most to the productivity. The second, further fracture contributes relatively little (less than 9% for parallel fractures and less than 25% for orthogonal fractures). This paper provides insight into factors affecting the productivity index of a discrete well-fracture system.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 216-223 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering |
| Volume | 57 |
| Early online date | 2 Jul 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Sep 2018 |
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Keywords
- Circular reservoir
- Discrete fractures
- Productivity index
- Semi-analytical solution
- Vertical well
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Energy Engineering and Power Technology
Cite this
A new semi-analytical method for calculating well productivity near discrete fractures. / Luo, Wanjing; Tang, Changfu; Zhou, Yingfang; Ning, Bo; Cai, Jianchao.
In: Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, Vol. 57, 30.09.2018, p. 216-223.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A new semi-analytical method for calculating well productivity near discrete fractures
AU - Luo, Wanjing
AU - Tang, Changfu
AU - Zhou, Yingfang
AU - Ning, Bo
AU - Cai, Jianchao
N1 - This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51674227; 41722403), National Key S&T Special Projects (Grant No. 2016ZX05047-004) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No. 2-9-2015-133).
PY - 2018/9/30
Y1 - 2018/9/30
N2 - Highly permeable discrete fractures are often observed in sandstone and carbonate formations. However, the impacts of these fractures on the productivity index of a vertical well are poorly understood. In this paper, we present a new uniform-flux fracture solution derived by integrating an eccentric point source in a pseudo-steady state within a circular reservoir. Moreover, we establish a new model of fluid flow in a uniform-flux fracture. We then integrate the fracture solution and flow model into a semi-analytical model capable of calculating the productivity index of a vertical well near discrete fractures in a circular reservoir. Finally, we discuss the effect of discrete fractures on the productivity index in detail. Our results show that, for a single-fracture-well system, the well-fracture distance and fracture conductivity exert significant influences on the productivity index of the well. The maximum productivity index of a vertical well can be achieved if the well is drilled on a discrete fracture, and the productivity index decreases with increasing well-fracture distance and falling fracture conductivity. The effect of fracture conductivity on the productivity index of a vertical well can be ignored if the distance between the well and the fracture is greater than a certain value. At large conductivity values, the dimensionless fracture-well distance d1D has a much greater impact on the productivity index than the fracture conductivity. For a double-fracture-well system, strong interference between fractures will reduce the increment of the productivity index associated with the second fracture if two parallel fractures are very close. If the distance is larger, the effect of fractures on the productivity index can be ignored. The closest fracture to the vertical well contributes the most to the productivity. The second, further fracture contributes relatively little (less than 9% for parallel fractures and less than 25% for orthogonal fractures). This paper provides insight into factors affecting the productivity index of a discrete well-fracture system.
AB - Highly permeable discrete fractures are often observed in sandstone and carbonate formations. However, the impacts of these fractures on the productivity index of a vertical well are poorly understood. In this paper, we present a new uniform-flux fracture solution derived by integrating an eccentric point source in a pseudo-steady state within a circular reservoir. Moreover, we establish a new model of fluid flow in a uniform-flux fracture. We then integrate the fracture solution and flow model into a semi-analytical model capable of calculating the productivity index of a vertical well near discrete fractures in a circular reservoir. Finally, we discuss the effect of discrete fractures on the productivity index in detail. Our results show that, for a single-fracture-well system, the well-fracture distance and fracture conductivity exert significant influences on the productivity index of the well. The maximum productivity index of a vertical well can be achieved if the well is drilled on a discrete fracture, and the productivity index decreases with increasing well-fracture distance and falling fracture conductivity. The effect of fracture conductivity on the productivity index of a vertical well can be ignored if the distance between the well and the fracture is greater than a certain value. At large conductivity values, the dimensionless fracture-well distance d1D has a much greater impact on the productivity index than the fracture conductivity. For a double-fracture-well system, strong interference between fractures will reduce the increment of the productivity index associated with the second fracture if two parallel fractures are very close. If the distance is larger, the effect of fractures on the productivity index can be ignored. The closest fracture to the vertical well contributes the most to the productivity. The second, further fracture contributes relatively little (less than 9% for parallel fractures and less than 25% for orthogonal fractures). This paper provides insight into factors affecting the productivity index of a discrete well-fracture system.
KW - Circular reservoir
KW - Discrete fractures
KW - Productivity index
KW - Semi-analytical solution
KW - Vertical well
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85049927520&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jngse.2018.06.027
DO - 10.1016/j.jngse.2018.06.027
M3 - Article
VL - 57
SP - 216
EP - 223
JO - Journal of Natural Gas Science & Engineering
JF - Journal of Natural Gas Science & Engineering
SN - 1875-5100
ER -