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下降，将无法满足未来的能源需求。目前，水平井与多级水力压裂技术相结合已成为开发致密储层巨大储量的关键，否则这些储层将无法实现经济开采。到2020年，北美致密油产量预计将超过200万桶/天。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，新南威尔士州（澳大利亚）、卡鲁盆地（南非）、魁北克（加拿大）和美国的一些州都暂停了这种做法。因此，拟议研究计划的长期目标是促进加拿大西部沉积盆地致密油层的高效和环保开发。该项目的短期目标（小于5年）是本次Discovery基金申请的主题，重点是提供一种系统的工具来预测处理后油井的产能，并优化致密油地层的储层性能。理论上，将建立致密油水力裂缝中复杂而精确的多相流模型并进行标定。将研究新的优化算法，以优化裂缝性致密油地层的储层动态。考虑到涉及数万亿美元的资源，大规模多级水力压裂建模的经济影响是巨大的。项目完成后，将对后处理井产能和储层动态以及致密油储层进行全面了解。这项工作的公开传播将确保所有利益相关者和整个研究界都能获得结果。这将大大促进该领域的知识。与此同时，随着越来越多的技术改进被研究、开发和应用，以提高致密油资源的采收率，工程师、地球科学家、技术人员和环境专家等高技能工人将受到高度需求。在这个项目中训练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.