Numerical analysis of two-phase fluid flow in fractured hydrocarbon reservoirs

Considering the complexity of fluid flow simulation in fractured reservoirs, several numerical models, including Warren Root, Kazemi, etc., have been presented to investigate their behavior. In this article, flooding simulation by finite difference numerical method in a fractured reservoir with two-phase fluid flow with a dual-porosity model has been done. The results have been compared with a similar reservoir without a fractured network. The results indicate that the pressure’s front in the quarter five spot pattern is semi-circular in a homogenous reservoir with no fracture, which in this case causes more hydrocarbon sweep, and also more enhanced oil recovery. In fractured reservoirs, due to the connection between the matrix and fractured rock, the fluid’s front is not semi-circular, but there is fluid flow from the fracture to the matrix or from the matrix to the fracture. According to the location of the wells and the pressure difference, it is possible that the fluid flows from the fracture to the matrix or from the matrix to the fracture, in which case it is possible that the fracture is used as a conduit for fluid transfer, which does not cause a pressure difference and there is not much increase in production.

Keywords:

Fractured hydrocarbon reservoirs , Finite difference numerical method , Dual- porosity model , Flooding , Two-phase fluid flow simulation