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Collaborating Authors
Results
Numerical Simulation of Natural Gas Flow in Anisotropic Shale Reservoirs
Negara, Ardiansyah (Baker Hughes) | Salama, Amgad (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) | Sun, Shuyu (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) | Elgassier, Mokhtar (Baker Hughes) | Wu, Yu-Shu (Colorado School of Mines)
Abstract Shale gas resources have received great attention in the last decade due to the decline of the conventional gas resources. Unlike conventional gas reservoirs, the gas flow in shale formations involves complex processes with many mechanisms such as Knudsen diffusion, slip flow (Klinkenberg effect), gas adsorption and desorption, strong rock-fluid interaction, etc. Shale formations are characterized by the tiny porosity and extremely low-permeability such that the Darcy equation may no longer be valid. Therefore, the Darcy equation needs to be revised through the permeability factor by introducing the apparent permeability. With respect to the rock formations, several studies have shown the existence of anisotropy in shale reservoirs, which is an essential feature that has been established as a consequence of the different geological processes over long period of time. Anisotropy of hydraulic properties of subsurface rock formations plays a significant role in dictating the direction of fluid flow. The direction of fluid flow is not only dependent on the direction of pressure gradient, but it also depends on the principal directions of anisotropy. Therefore, it is very important to take into consideration anisotropy when modeling gas flow in shale reservoirs. In this work, the gas flow mechanisms as mentioned earlier together with anisotropy are incorporated into the dual-porosity dual-permeability model through the full-tensor apparent permeability. We employ the multipoint flux approximation (MPFA) method to handle the full-tensor apparent permeability. We combine MPFA method with the experimenting pressure field approach, i.e., a newly developed technique that enables us to solve the global problem by breaking it into a multitude of local problems. This approach generates a set of predefined pressure fields in the solution domain in such a way that the undetermined coefficients are calculated from these pressure fields. In other words, the matrix of coefficients is constructed automatically within the solver. We ran a numerical model with different scenarios of anisotropy orientations and compared the results with the isotropic model in order to show the differences between them. We investigated the effect of anisotropy in both the matrix and fracture systems. The numerical results show anisotropy plays a crucial role in dictating the pressure fields as well as the gas flow streamlines. Furthermore, the numerical results clearly show the effects of anisotropy on the production rate and cumulative production. Incorporating anisotropy together with gas flow mechanisms in shale formations into the reservoir model is essential particularly for predicting maximum gas production from shale reservoirs.
- Europe (1.00)
- North America > United States > Texas (0.46)
- Asia > Middle East > Saudi Arabia (0.46)
- North America > Canada > Alberta (0.28)
Density-Driven Flow Simulation in Anisotropic Porous Media: Application to CO2 Geological Sequestration
Negara, Ardiansyah (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) | Salama, Amgad (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) | Sun, Shuyu (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)
Abstract Carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration in saline aquifers is considered as one of the most viable and promising ways to reduce CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. CO2 is injected into deep saline formations at supercritical state where its density is smaller than the hosting brine. This motivates an upward motion and eventually CO2 is trapped beneath the cap rock. The trapped CO2 slowly dissolves into the brine causing the density of the mixture to become larger than the host brine. This causes gravitational instabilities that is propagated and magnified with time. In this kind of density-driven flows, the CO2-rich brines migrate downward while the brines with low CO2 concentration move upward. With respect to the properties of the subsurface aquifers, there are instances where saline formations can possess anisotropy with respect to their hydraulic properties. Such anisotropy can have significant effect on the onset and propagation of flow instabilities. Anisotropy is predicted to be more influential in dictating the direction of the convective flow. To account for permeability anisotropy, the method of multipoint flux approximation (MPFA) in the framework of finite differences schemes is used. The MPFA method requires more point stencil than the traditional two-point flux approximation (TPFA). For example, calculation of one flux component requires 6-point stencil and 18-point stencil in 2-D and 3-D cases, respectively. As consequence, the matrix of coefficient for obtaining the pressure fields will be quite complex. Therefore, we combine the MPFA method with the experimenting pressure field technique in which the problem is reduced to solving multitude of local problems and the global matrix of coefficients is constructed automatically, which significantly reduces the complexity. We present several numerical scenarios of density-driven flow simulation in homogeneous, layered, and heterogeneous anisotropic porous media. The numerical results emphasize the significant effects of anisotropy in driving the migration of dissolved CO2 along the principal direction of anisotropy even if the porous medium is highly heterogeneous. Furthermore, the impacts of the increase of density difference between the brine and the CO2-saturated brine with respect to the onset time of convection, the CO2 flux, and the CO2 total dissolved mass are also discussed in this paper.
- Europe (0.93)
- North America > United States (0.68)
- Asia > Middle East > Saudi Arabia (0.28)
- Geology > Petroleum Play Type (0.48)
- Geology > Mineral (0.46)
3-D Numerical Investigation of Subsurface Flow in Anisotropic Porous Media using Multipoint Flux Approximation Method
Negara, Ardiansyah (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) | Salama, Amgad (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) | Sun, Shuyu (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)
Abstract Anisotropy of hydraulic properties of subsurface geologic formations is an essential feature that has been established as a consequence of the different geologic processes that they undergo during the longer geologic time scale. With respect to petroleum reservoirs, in many cases, anisotropy plays significant role in dictating the direction of flow that becomes no longer dependent only on the pressure gradient direction but also on the principal directions of anisotropy. Furthermore, in complex systems involving the flow of multiphase fluids in which the gravity and the capillarity play an important role, anisotropy can also have important influences. Therefore, there has been great deal of motivation to consider anisotropy when solving the governing conservation laws numerically. Unfortunately, the two-point flux approximation of finite difference approach is not capable of handling full tensor permeability fields. Lately, however, it has been possible to adapt the multipoint flux approximation that can handle anisotropy to the framework of finite difference schemes. In multipoint flux approximation method, the stencil of approximation is more involved, i.e., it requires the involvement of 9-point stencil for the 2-D model and 27-point stencil for the 3-D model. This is apparently challenging and cumbersome when making the global system of equations. In this work, we apply the equation-type approach, which is the experimenting pressure field approach that enables the solution of the global problem breaks into the solution of multitude of local problems that significantly reduce the complexity without affecting the accuracy of numerical solution. This approach also leads in reducing the computational cost during the simulation. We have applied this technique to a variety of anisotropy scenarios of 3-D subsurface flow problems and the numerical results demonstrate that the experimenting pressure field technique fits very well with the multipoint flux approximation method. Furthermore, the numerical results explicitly emphasize that anisotropy could not be ignored for the proper model of subsurface flow.
Enhanced Oil Recovery by Nanoparticles Injection: Modeling and Simulation
El-Amin, Mohamed F. (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia) | Sun, Shuyu (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia) | Salama, Amgad (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia)
Copyright 2013, Society of Petroleum Engineers This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Middle East Oil and Gas Show and Conference held in Manama, Bahrain, 10-13 March 2013. This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited.
- North America > United States (0.95)
- Asia > Middle East > Bahrain > Manama > Manama (0.24)
Modeling and Simulation of Nanoparticle Transport in Multiphase Flows in Porous Media: CO2 Sequestration
El-Amin, M. F. (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) | Sun, Shuyu (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) | Salama, Amgad (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)
Abstract Geological storage of anthropogenic CO2 emissions in deep saline aquifers has recently received tremendous attention in the scientific literature. Injected CO2 plume buoyantly accumulates at the top part of the deep aquifer under a sealing cap rock, and some concern that the high-pressure CO2 could breach the seal rock. However, CO2 will diffuse into the brine underneath and generate a slightly denser fluid that may induce instability and convective mixing. Onset times of instability and convective mixing performance depend on the physical properties of the rock and fluids, such as permeability and density contrast. The novel idea is to adding nanoparticles to the injected CO2 to increase density contrast between the CO2-rich brine and the underlying resident brine and, consequently, decrease onset time of instability and increase convective mixing. As far as it goes, only few works address the issues related to mathematical and numerical modeling aspects of the nanoparticles transport phenomena in CO2 storages. In the current work, we will present mathematical models to describe the nanoparticles transport carried by injected CO2 in porous media. Buoyancy and capillary forces as well as Brownian diffusion are important to be considered in the model. IMplicit Pressure Explicit Saturation-Concentration (IMPESC) scheme is used and a numerical simulator is developed to simulate the nanoparticles transport in CO2 storages.
Abstract The flow of two or more immiscible fluids in porous media is ubiquitous particularly in oil industry. This includes secondary and tertiary oil recovery, CO2 sequestration, etc. Accurate predictions of the development of these processes are important in estimating the benefits, e.g., in the form of increased oil extraction, when using certain technology. However, this accurate prediction depends to a large extent on two things; the first is related to our ability to correctly characterize the reservoir with all its complexities and the second depends on our ability to develop robust techniques that solve the governing equations efficiently and accurately. In this work, we introduce a new robust and efficient numerical technique to solving the governing conservation laws which govern the movement of two immiscible fluids in the subsurface. This work will be applied to the problem of CO2 sequestration in deep saline aquifer; however, it can also be extended to incorporate more cases. The traditional solution algorithms to this problem are based on discretizing the governing laws on a generic cell and then proceed to the other cells within loops. Therefore, it is expected that, calling and iterating these loops several times can take significant amount of CPU time. Furthermore, if this process is done using programming languages which require repeated interpretation each time a loop is called like Matlab, Python or the like, extremely longer time is expected particularly for larger systems. In this new algorithm, the solution is done for all the nodes at once and not within loops. The solution methodology involves manipulating all the variables as column vectors. Then using shifting matrices, these vectors are sifted in such a way that subtracting relevant vectors produces the corresponding difference algorithm. It has been found that this technique significantly reduces the amount of CPU times compared with traditional technique implemented within the framework of Matlab.
- Asia (0.94)
- Europe (0.93)
- North America > United States > Texas (0.47)
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Storage Reservoir Engineering > CO2 capture and sequestration (1.00)
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Reservoir Fluid Dynamics > Flow in porous media (1.00)
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Reservoir Characterization (1.00)
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Improved and Enhanced Recovery (1.00)