Discrete Fracture Modeling of 3D Heterogeneous Enhanced Coalbed Methane Recovery with Prismatic Meshing

Yongbin Zhang, Bin Gong, Junchao Li and Hangyu Li
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Yongbin Zhang: Department of Energy & Resources Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Bin Gong: Department of Energy & Resources Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Junchao Li: Department of Energy & Resources Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Hangyu Li: Shell International Exploration and Production Inc., Houston, TX 77079, USA

Energies, 2015, vol. 8, issue 6, 1-24

Abstract: In this study, a 3D multicomponent multiphase simulator with a new fracture characterization technique is developed to simulate the enhanced recovery of coalbed methane. In this new model, the diffusion source from the matrix is calculated using the traditional dual-continuum approach, while in the Darcy flow scale, the Discrete Fracture Model (DFM) is introduced to explicitly represent the flow interaction between cleats and large-scale fractures. For this purpose, a general formulation is proposed to model the multicomponent multiphase flow through the fractured coal media. The S&D model and a revised P&M model are incorporated to represent the geomechanical effects. Then a finite volume based discretization and solution strategies are constructed to solve the general ECBM equations. The prismatic meshing algorism is used to construct the grids for 3D reservoirs with complex fracture geometry. The simulator is validated with a benchmark case in which the results show close agreement with GEM. Finally, simulation of a synthetic heterogeneous 3D coal reservoir modified from a published literature is performed to evaluate the production performance and the effects of injected gas composition, well pattern and gas buoyancy.

Keywords: enhanced coalbed methane; discrete fracture model; diffusion; prismatic meshing; geomechanical effects (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: 2015
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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