3D Fracture Network Modeling for Reservoir Production Zone Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The oil and gas industry faces challenges in determining optimal hydrocarbon production zones due to uncertainties in perforation placement and hydraulic fracturing, leading to formation breakdown issues and poor productivity despite advanced weighted criteria.
Innovation Solution
A method involving generating a 3D natural fracture model with a discrete fracture network and brittleness model, converting to a 2D model for fracture density, predicting fluid-flow pathways, hydraulic fracturing, logging wellbore properties, identifying fracture flow zones, and validating pathways using high precision temperature and spectral noise logging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If advanced weighted criteria including facies quality, effective porosity, brittleness, closure stress, natural fracture index, and cement bond index are used to quantify reservoir character and mechanical properties, then the selection of perforation clusters and fracturing stages becomes more sophisticated, but formation breakdown issues and poor productivity still occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by comparing predicted fluid-flow pathways from the 3D discrete fracture network model with actual logged properties from the wellbore after hydraulic fracturing. This validation process allows the system to learn from actual production performance and refine future predictions, directly addressing the reliability issue despite complex weighting criteria.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical/perceptual evaluation methods with a computational modeling approach using 3D discrete fracture networks and brittleness models. This substitution enables more accurate prediction of fluid-flow pathways and production zones, improving reliability while maintaining sophisticated analysis capabilities.
2Productivity
If 3D discrete fracture network is converted to 2D model to determine continuous fracture density property, then computational efficiency is improved, but dimensional information is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential fracture density information from the complex 3D discrete fracture network by converting to a 2D model. This extraction process isolates the critical continuous fracture density property while discarding redundant dimensional information, achieving computational efficiency without losing the key characteristics needed for production zone identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dimensionality change by transforming the 3D discrete fracture network into a 2D continuous fracture density model. This dimensional reduction simplifies computations while preserving the essential fracture characteristics through the continuous density property, enabling efficient processing of reservoir data.
3Measurement precision
If multiple logging runs including HPT and SNL are performed to validate fluid-flow pathways, then measurement precision is improved, but time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing High Precision Temperature (HPT) and Spectral Noise Logging (SNL) runs during the hydraulic fracturing process itself, rather than requiring separate post-fracturing validation runs. This timing optimization reduces total operational time while maintaining measurement precision for validating fluid-flow pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple validation methods (HPT logging and SNL logging) into a single integrated workflow that is performed during the fracturing operation. This combination of logging techniques in one operational sequence reduces the total time required compared to performing them as separate sequential operations, while providing comprehensive validation of predicted fluid-flow pathways.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for the accurate identification of hydrocarbon production zones, reducing wasted perforations, minimizing inconsistent breakdowns, and enhancing well productivity by optimizing perforation intervals and fracture treatments.
Implementation Method 1
hydraulic fracturing the wellbore to create one or more hydraulic fractures in the subterranean formation
Implementation Method 2
performing at least one high precision temperature (HPT) logging run to generate at least one HPT log of the wellbore
Implementation Method 3
performing at least one spectral noise logging (SNL) run to generate at least one spectral noise log of the wellbore
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for determining one or more hydrocarbon production zones in a subterranean reservoir include generating a 3D natural fracture model that includes a 3D discrete fracture network and a brittleness model for a subterranean formation into which a wellbore is formed; converting the 3D discrete fracture network into a 2D model to determine a continuous fracture density property; predicting a plurality of fluid-flow pathways using the continuous fracture density property modeled for each brittleness; hydraulic fracturing the wellbore to create one or more hydraulic fractures in the subterranean formation; subsequent to the hydraulic fracturing, logging the wellbore to determine one or more logged properties; identifying one or more fracture flow zones based on the one or more logged properties; and validating the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways based on the identified one or more fracture flow zones.