An Analytical Flow Model for Heterogeneous Multi-Fractured Systems in Shale Gas Reservoirs

Honghua Tao, Liehui Zhang, Qiguo Liu, Qi Deng, Man Luo and Yulong Zhao
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Honghua Tao: State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China
Liehui Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China
Qiguo Liu: State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China
Qi Deng: State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China
Man Luo: Petro China West Pipeline Company, Urumqi 830013, China
Yulong Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-19

Abstract: The use of multiple hydraulically fractured horizontal wells has been proven to be an efficient and effective way to enable shale gas production. Meanwhile, analytical models represent a rapid evaluation method that has been developed to investigate the pressure-transient behaviors in shale gas reservoirs. Furthermore, fractal-anomalous diffusion, which describes a sub-diffusion process by a non-linear relationship with time and cannot be represented by Darcy’s law, has been noticed in heterogeneous porous media. In order to describe the pressure-transient behaviors in shale gas reservoirs more accurately, an improved analytical model based on the fractal-anomalous diffusion is established. Various diffusions in the shale matrix, pressure-dependent permeability, fractal geometry features, and anomalous diffusion in the stimulated reservoir volume region are considered. Type curves of pressure and pressure derivatives are plotted, and the effects of anomalous diffusion and mass fractal dimension are investigated in a sensitivity analysis. The impact of anomalous diffusion is recognized as two opposite aspects in the early linear flow regime and after that period, when it changes from 1 to 0.75. The smaller mass fractal dimension, which changes from 2 to 1.8, results in more pressure and a drop in the pressure derivative.

Keywords: fractional diffusion; fractal geometry; analytical model; shale gas reservoir (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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