7/21/2018 KAPPA - Forum PTA / RTA - Kh in fractured reservoir

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M. Knol
14 Messages (/Forum/Search.aspx?user=34386&forumId=all)

Mon Jul 18, 2016 22:50:14

Hi everyone,

I was wondering what 'kh' represents in a complex fractured reservoir. Does Kh(late)
determined at IARF also includes part of the fracture permeability/conductivity?
Or does it solely represents the matrix permeability? The answer will probably be a mixture of
both, but I would like to have an experts opinion / a better understanding. Thank you for your
help!

Marit

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Olé Severin FJAERE

1140 Messages (/Forum/Search.aspx?user=374&forumId=all)
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Mon Jul 18, 2016 23:46:28 to M. Knol

We like to call a complex fractured reservoir a fissured reservoir due to the distribution and
tortuosity and fissure connectivity with the material that separate the fractures.
In PTA we use two different analytic analytical models, the PSS (Pseudo Steady State) and the
Transient model. Both are found in the PTA version of Ecrin or KAPPA Workstation Generation
5.
kh is an equivalent permeability thickness product. The fissured system is assumed to be
uniformly distributed in the whole reservoir thickness, but in practice the fissures involve only a
fraction of h. kf is a function not only of the actual fissure thickness and intrinsic permeability

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7/21/2018 KAPPA - Forum PTA / RTA - Kh in fractured reservoir

but also of the fissure network. Thus kh = kfhf.

The behavior is defined as follows:
1. The fissure will start to flow first. Only the fissures are producing.
2. Then there will be a time of transitions as the matrix starts to feed the fissures
3. Finally the total system will flow to the well, but only through the fissures

The latest flow regime is called the total system behavior, so from the above you can see that
in a double porosity reservoir the total system flow will give you total kh which is in fact equal
to the fissure kh. The theoretical Bourdet derivative curve will show two stabilizations at the
same level with a “dip” in between (the transition) thus the semilog plot will show two parallel
straight lines, both giving the same kh.
Suggested reading: Dominique Bourdet’s book on Elsevier and the DDA book.
 

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M. Knol
14 Messages (/Forum/Search.aspx?user=34386&forumId=all)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 15:17:08 to Olé Severin FJAERE

Thank you Ole for your extensive answer! This definitely helps in my understanding, especially
that the total kh is equal to the fissure kh in a double porosity system. I thought it was a
combination of the matrix and fissure permeabilty.

Question 1. To continue on my question: if I also have 'big fractures' that entirely dominate the
flow. Does the late time kh then also represents the fracture kh? I am looking at a well test with
an early and late time radial period (3600 mD m and 600 mD m) in a complex fractured
reservoir (both double porosity and big fractures dominating flow) and I'm trying to figure out
what each kh represents. Looking forward to your answer.

Question 2. I found this schematic in the DDA book and the location of the IARF line is the
same. This suggests no matter the type of flow (flow through fractures or drain) the kh remains
the same. How does this fit in with question 1?

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Moderator

Olé Severin FJAERE

1140 Messages (/Forum/Search.aspx?user=374&forumId=all)
KAPPA

Tue Jul 19, 2016 17:21:13 to M. Knol

Firstly thank you for your kind words.

Now, I will come back to the double porosity reservoir very briefly. I remind you that only the
fissures flow to the well so therefore the kh is equal to kfhf. However you can bring this further
mathematically and play with the interporosity flow coefficient lambda that has a shape factor
that can be determined from the geometry of the fissure network if you know it. This will in
fact allow you to calculate the permeability of the matrix. In the past I did this in a spreadsheet
when a client was asking for it but coming in the next version of Generation 5, 5.12 you will
actually have the choice to input lambda or the shape factor and thus also have the access to
the matrix blocks permeability for what this is worth. I thought I would just let you know of
what is coming. 5.12 has of course not yet been released, but it is coming.
To your second question.
There are two types of dominating fractures and they are part of the well model. Infinite
conductivity and finite conductivity fractures. The infinite conductivity fracture has as the name
suggest infinite permeability and is usually a natural fracture. The finite conductivity fracture is
an induced fracture put in the rock by purpose and has a fracture conductivity equal to kfw,
where w is the width of the fracture. The IARF only starts after the fracture flow is over and
thus will give you the rock permeability of the reservoir, and that is why all the different
fractures you sent in the graphic has the same reservoir permeability.
Double porosity is a reservoir feature so if you have a fractured and a fissured reservoir the
fracture will dominate first, then you would see the IARF in the fissures, then the transition and
finally the total system flowing through the fissures to the fracture and then to the well.
So the bottom line is that the late time stabilization gives you the reservoir permeability and
not the permeability of the fracture.
I hope this was clear, if not don’t hesitate to get back to me.

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M. Knol
14 Messages (/Forum/Search.aspx?user=34386&forumId=all)

Fri Jul 22, 2016 20:20:35 to Olé Severin FJAERE

Hi Ole,

To come back to your final line: "So the bottom line is that the late time stabilization gives you
the reservoir permeability and not the permeability of the fracture.". So if we are in a fractured

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and fissured reservoir, the late time Kh will be kfhf (only representing the permeability of the
fissures and not the matrix) according to your first discription? With reservoir permeability you
mean the fissured reservoir without the 'bigger fractures' right? I'm just confused because
some people say late time kh represents the 'total system radial flow', which would mean the
fractures + the fissues + the matrix. Thank you for your patience and clarification!
 

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Olé Severin FJAERE

1140 Messages (/Forum/Search.aspx?user=374&forumId=all)
KAPPA

Fri Jul 22, 2016 21:57:55 to M. Knol

The Total permeability is in the case of a double porosity reservoir kh=kfhf where the f stands
for the reservoir fissures not the main fracture. You can only get an idea of the main fracture
permeability if the fracture acts as a finite conductivity fracture and you know the width of the
fracture, but this result comes from the total model match and not the IARF flow part of the
data.

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