Seismic-to-Simulation for Unconventional Reservoir Development

Abstract

The completion strategy and hydraulic fracture stimulation are the keys to economic success in unconventional reservoirs. Therefore, reservoir engineering workflows in unconventional reservoirs need to focus on completion and stimulation optimization as much as they do well placement and spacing. This well-level focus requires the integration of hydraulic fracture modeling software and the ability to utilize measurements specific to unconventional reservoirs. This paper details a comprehensive integration of software, data, and specialized measurements specific to unconventional reservoirs that allows efficient full-cycle seismic-to-simulation evaluations.It is very important to properly model hydraulic fracture propagation and hydrocarbon production mechanisms in unconventional reservoirs, a significant departure from conventional reservoir simulation workflows. Seismic-to-simulation workflows in unconventional reservoirs require hydraulic fracture models that properly simulate complex fracture propagation which is common in many unconventional reservoirs, algorithms to automatically develop discrete reservoir simulation grids to rigorously model the hydrocarbon production from complex hydraulic fractures, and the ability to efficiently integrate microseismic measurements with geological and geophysical data. The introduction of complex hydraulic fracture propagation models now allows these work-flows to be implemented. This paper documents an efficient, yet rigorous, integration of geological and geophysical data with complex fracture models, single-well completion and stimulation focused reservoir simulation, and microseismic measurements. The implementation of a common software platform and the development of specialized gridding algorithms allow complex hydraulic fracture models to be calibrated using microseismic measurements in the context of local geology and structure. The complex hydraulic fracture geometry, including the distribution of proppant, is automatically gridded to a common Earth Model for single-well reservoir simulation. The software platform, newly developed complex hydraulic fracture models, and automated gridding algorithms are illustrated in a case history from the Barnett Shale unconventional gas play.

A Comprehensive Model for Real Gas Transport in Shale Formations with Complex Non-planar Fracture Networks

“…Cipolla et al . (2011) developed automated unstructured gridding algorithms to numerically simulate well performance from the complex fractures15. Li and Lee (2008), Moinfar (2014), used embedded discrete fracture models (EDFM) to treat the matrix as structured grids and discretize the complex fractures into a number of segments1617.…”

Flow and Transport in Tight and Shale Formations: A Review

“…Matthai et al [119] introduced numerical investigations for two-phase flow in fractured porous media using control-volume finiteelement method. Cipolla et al [120] introduced numerical modeling using automated unstructured gridding method to simulate the well performance from the complex fractures. Sheng et al [121] employed the extended finite-element method to study the gas transport of shale in a complex fracture network.…”

Efficient production estimation for a hydraulic fractured well considering fracture closure and proppant placement effects

“…Different from conventional reservoirs, unconventional reservoir simulation is focused on the well and the specifics of well completion with a detailed geologic description (Cipolla et al, 2011). We adopt an integrated workflow from a static modeling and carry out fracture simulation for the production estimation in the same platform (Figure 4).…”