Engineering and design issues to be considered in reservoir simulation

Image source

The need for prospective evaluations using reservoir simulation tools lies in the fact of having a little clearer the behavior of an oil reservoir based on the dynamics of formation fluids such as oil, gas and water through the porous media of the rock that contains them.

We cannot leave aside the importance of research and innovation associated with reservoir simulation, since the generation of models to expand the flow behavior of formation fluids in oil reservoirs include development calculations that make
the interest of engineers in researching towards the creation of new simulation models.

What generates ideas about how much information is needed for oilfield development?

What generates ideas for innovation and creation of new models by engineers is the ease of being able to work based on geological and physical information that directly influence the study of the properties of oil, which is why the development of technology based on reservoir simulation should also be considered so that ideas can be generated with capacity to help the development of the oil field considering it as a single entity that demands attention based on the behavior of formation fluids.

Image source

The first thing to consider in the design is that the engineer can base the mathematical relationships involved on a calculation model that takes into account the geology of the oilfield environment with the way it influences the dynamic behavior of the fluids that are contained in the reservoir, adding to this the hydrodynamic studies of wells.

What combination of reservoir models can be used?

There is no specific combination that must be used, only that the combination to be used can provide a correct accuracy in the simulation of reservoir properties and processes, this means that if there is a development model based on a combination of models, any can be used in an oil field as long as there is a reflection, even more accurately of the formation fluid properties and also of the reservoir processes contributing to the estimated productivity of the reservoir.

Image source

Under the engineering approach, we could consider that without oilfield simulation models what could be estimated in relation to a prospective study of future production would not be as accurate as when computerized models are used, which are at the forefront and may include material balance equations, coning models and sweep efficiency estimation.

It can be concluded that a reservoir simulation project must gather other aspects that help the computer programs, such as the fact that the project must contemplate the historical coincidence, that is to say, to have in mind the capacity to compare the historical production and pressures of the reservoir of other wells and then compare them with the calculated values of the computer simulation program, with this being able to draw better conclusions than those that can be obtained based only on the computer simulation model.

References

Aziz, K. and Settari, A., Petroleum Reservoir Simulation , 1979, Applied Science Publishers.

Ertekin, T, Abou-Kassem, JH and GR King, Basic Applied Reservoir Simulation , SPE Textbook Vol 10, 2001.

Fanchi, J., Principles of applied reservoir simulation , fourth edition, Elsevier GPP, 2018.