Numerical Modeling of Multiphase Flow Toward Fractured Horizontal Wells In Heterogeneous Nanoporous Formations
Ralf Holy, Erdal H. Ozkan · SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition · 2016
Abstract This paper presents an anomalous diffusion based approach for modeling two-phase oil/water flow in fractured nanoporous media, such as that encountered in unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. Production is assumed to be from a multiply fractured horizontal well and the focus of the discussions is 1D linear flow in the region between hydraulic fractures. To account for the complexity and heterogeneity of the fractured medium, anomalous diffusion is considered in the flow domain between hydraulic fractures. To do so, the conventional Darcy phase fluxes are replaced by more general fractional flux laws which incorporate the non-local and hereditary nature of flow by means of fractional space-time phase and capillary pressure gradients. A modified IMPES scheme is derived for linear oil/water flow under specified terminal pressure production, and the impact of sub- and super-diffusion on phase rates, as well as pressure and saturation distributions across the system is studied.