D.I. Erandi N. Wijeratn
Department of Process, Energy and Environmental Technology, Telemark University College, Norway
Britt M. Halvorsen
Department of Process, Energy and Environmental Technology, Telemark University College, Norway
Ladda ner artikel
http://dx.doi.org/10.3384/ecp1511963Ingår i: Proceedings of the 56th Conference on Simulation and Modelling (SIMS 56), October, 7-9, 2015, Linköping University, Sweden
Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 119:6, s. 63-70
Publicerad: 2015-11-25
ISBN: 978-91-7685-900-1
ISSN: 1650-3686 (tryckt), 1650-3740 (online)
Recovery of heavy oil is associated with challenges in terms of early water or gas breakthrough caused by the fingering phenomenon. This study is related to Californian heavy oil production and includes 2D simulations of heavy oil with viscosity 300cP in horizontal wells with autonomous inflow control devices (AICDs). The simulations were carried out using ANSYS/Fluent as the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. Volume of Fluid (VOF) is used as the multiphase model. Preliminary studies are performed and a model for heavy oil production has been developed and validated against experimental data found in literature. Grid resolution tests and time step dependency tests are performed. 2D simulations were carried to study reservoir flow, annular flow and flow through the AICDs into the production pipe. Before breakthrough the analysis of data gives quite realistic results which can be theoretically justified. The simulations clearly stated the fingering phenomenon and the effect on breakthrough and oil production. Higher pressure drop is observed near the well bore (or across AICD) as the finger growth takes place. Simulation of two pipe sections in a homogeneous reservoir does not reflect the function of AICDs adequately. This is due to negligible frictional pressure drop in the pipe which breakthrough at approximately the same time in the two sections. This study has /identified the formation of fingering in heavy oil reservoir with water drive and according to the simulated results, oil production is highly affected by fingering behaviour, since it enables the early water breakthrough while most of the oil is left unproduced.
Heavy oil reservoirs; fingering phenomenon; water breakthrough; CFD; multiphase flow
H. Aakre, B. Halvorsen, B. Werswick, V. Mathiesen, Smart well with autonomous inflow control valve technology, in: SPE Middle East Oil and Gas Show and Exhibition, 2013.
F. Al-Khelaiwi, D. Davies, Inflow control devices: Application and value quantification of a developing technology, in: International Oil Conference and Exhibtion, 2007.
B. Clark, Heavy oil, extra-heavy oil and bitumen, Tech. rep., National Petroleum Council (2007).
C. D. of Conservation, Annual report of the state oil and gas supervisor, Tech. rep., California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (2008).
A. Daneshy, Icd design: Revisiting objectives and techniques, in: SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, 2010.
P. Fernandes, Z. Li, D. Zhu, Understanding the roles of inflow-control devices in optimizing horizontalwell performance, in: SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, 2009.
M. Halvorsen, O. Naevdal, G. Elseth, Increased oil production by autonomous inflow control with rcp valves, in: SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, 2012.
E. Hanzlik, Status of heavy oil and tar sand resources in the United States, Tech. rep., UNITAR Center for Heavy Crude and Tar Sands (1998)
Incorporation, F., ANSYS FLUENT 12.0 User’s Guide, 2009.
Incorporation, F., Flow Through Porous Media. 2007.
S. Joshi, Horizontal wells: Successes and failures, Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 33(1994).
B. Least, S. Greci, R. Burkey, A. Utford, A. Wilema,, Autonomous icd single phase testing, in: SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, 2012.
V. Mathiesen, H. Aakre, B. Werswick, G. Elseth, The autonomous rcp valve - new technology for inflow control in horizontal wells, in: SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, 2011.
D. Mud, Horizontal well development of agravity drainage reservoir, in: SPE Western Regional Meeting, 1996.
M. Safwat, Challenges of heavy oil production, OAPEC - IFP Seminar, 2007.
D.I.Erandi N. Wijerathne, Britt M. Halvorsen, Computational study of fingering phenomenon in heavy oil reservoir with water drive, Fuel 158, 2015.
