Simulation and Performance Optimization of Tight Oil Reservoirs with Multistage Hydraulic Fractures

世界传统的碳氢化合物储量正在迅速减少，将无法满足未来的能源需求。目前，水平威尔斯井与多级水力压裂技术相结合，已成为开发致密储层的关键技术。据估计，到2020年，北美的致密油产量将超过每天200万桶。然而，水力压裂也成为一个有争议的环境和健康问题，法国禁止这种做法，并在新南威尔士州（澳大利亚），卡鲁盆地（南非），魁北克（加拿大）和美国的一些州暂停。因此，拟议的研究计划的长期目标旨在促进加拿大西部沉积盆地致密油层的开发，既有效又环保。该项目的短期（<5年）目标是提供一种系统性工具来预测处理后的油井产能，并优化致密油层的储层性能。在理论上，建立了致密油藏水力裂缝内复杂而精确的多相流模型，并进行了标定。将研究新的优化算法来优化裂缝性致密油层的储层动态。考虑到涉及的万亿美元资源，模拟大规模多级水力压裂的经济影响是巨大的。在拟议项目完成后，将实现对处理后油井产能和储层动态以及致密油藏的全面了解。这项工作的公开传播将确保所有利益攸关方和整个研究界都能获得成果。这将大大提高该领域的知识。与此同时，随着工业界研究、开发和应用更多的技术改进以提高致密油资源的采收率，对工程师、地质学家、技术人员和环境专家等高技能工人的需求将很大。在这个项目中培训的学生将有助于填补这一空白。

The world's traditional hydrocarbon reserves are in rapid decline and will be unable to meet the future demand for energy. At present, the combination of horizontal wells and the multi-stage hydraulic fracturing technologies has been the key to unlocking the vast reserves of the tight formations, which otherwise cannot be economically produced. Tight oil production in North America is estimated to be over 2,000,000 barrels per day by 2020. However, hydraulic fracturing has also become a contentious environmental and health issue with France banning the practice and a moratorium in place in New South Wales (Australia), Karoo basin (South Africa), Quebec (Canada), and some of the states of the US. Thus, the long term goal of the proposed research program aims to facilitate the development of tight oil formations in Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in a both an efficient and environmental friendly manner. The short term (<5 years) objectives of the program, which are the subject of this Discovery Grant application focus on providing a systemic tool to predict post-treatment well productivity and optimize reservoir performance in tight oil formations. Theoretically, a complex and accurate multiphase flow model in hydraulic fractures in tight oil reservoirs will be built and calibrated. New optimization algorithm will be investigated to optimize reservoir performance in fractured tight oil formations. The economic impact of modeling massive multi-stage hydraulic fracturing is huge, given the trillion dollars of resources involved. Upon completion of the proposed project, a thorough understanding of the post-treatment well productivity and reservoir performance and in tight oil reservoirs will be achieved. The open dissemination of this work will ensure the results are accessible to all stakeholders and the research community as a whole. This will advance knowledge in the field significantly. Meanwhile, as more technological improvements are researched, developed and applied by industry to increase the recovery of tight oil resources, highly skilled workers such as engineers, geoscientists, technicians and environmental specialists will be in high demand. The students trained during this program will help to fill this gap.